‘I Know You Are But What Am I?’ Pee-Wee Herman Tribute Exhibition @ Preacher Gallery [Austin]

It was difficult to process when Paul Reubens suddenly passed away on July 30th, 2023. Now, it’s difficult to believe that it’s been almost 2 years since the world was hit by the tragedy they never saw coming. The impact he left behind is so immeasurable that it continues to reverberate as if he never left. Every day, I still see something that is either directly related to the late artist/comedian, reminds me of him, or is something or someone he influenced.

Through the character of Pee-Wee Herman, Reubens raised a generation to value kindness, joy, creativity, community, and recognize the importance of being genuine and embracing their individual quirks. Expression is infectious. Art is how your soul breathes. Being “weird” just means you’re onto something. The more we create and encourage those around us to believe in their visions, the more we take hold of the world we exist in to mold and direct it. The Playhouse was a world within itself, but it gave opportunity to others like Wayne White and Gary Panter – artistic visionaries in their own right – providing them the freedom to help dictate what it would become. The vision was interactive. Participation brought it to life.

Tomorrow, more than 40 artists working in various disciplines will pay tribute to Pee-Wee in an official group exhibition held at Preacher Gallery in Austin. Co-presented with CODA and PeeWeesPlayhouse.Shop, ‘I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I?‘ brings together an impressive roster of peers, collaborators, and those unfluenced by the legacy of Paul Reubens. Based on the names they were able to bring in, this feels like a show participants were eager to say yes to. Based on the samples of work we’ve seen, everybody truly put everything they had into their submissions.

The opening will be held this Saturday, June 20th from 6-9 pm, and will feature a Chairy photo booth by Erica Nix, and a pop-up merch store with apparel, toys, prints, and more. If you’re in Austin, you don’t want to miss out on this one.