ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Erin Riley's tapestry appropriates iPhone porn at Spring Break fair's anarchic exhibition

festival-fair · 2026-04-22

Spring Break stands out as the sole Armory Week fair extending through Monday, reflecting its reputation for youthful ambition. The event unfolds within USPS administrative offices, spaces preserved from the New Deal era with a surreal atmosphere reminiscent of David Lynch's work. Each room features an independent curator, creating a decentralized exhibition structure. Myla Dalbesio organized several rooms under the title "you can call me baby," presenting post-feminist interpretations of the fair's overarching "cut and paste" theme. Erin Riley's 2015 tapestry work appropriates a frozen frame from girl-on-girl pornography displayed on an iPhone screen. This contemporary gesture finds historical parallels in the playful and suggestive scenes often depicted within traditional tapestries. The fair maintains an anarchic and exuberant character distinct from other Armory Week events.

Key facts

  • Spring Break is the only Armory Week fair that continues through Monday
  • The fair takes place in USPS administrative offices with a New Deal-era aesthetic
  • Each exhibition room has its own independent curator
  • Myla Dalbesio curated a suite of rooms titled "you can call me baby"
  • The fair's overarching theme was "cut and paste"
  • Erin Riley created a tapestry in 2015 appropriating iPhone pornography
  • Riley's work references a frozen frame from girl-on-girl porn
  • Historical tapestries often contained playful and naughty scenes

Entities

Artists

  • Erin Riley
  • Myla Dalbesio
  • David Lynch

Institutions

  • Spring Break
  • USPS

Sources