Death by Audio Hosts 16-Day Art Installation Before It Closes Forever

The legendary Brooklyn DIY space will be taken over by VICE Media.

Photo: @estersegrettophotography via Instagram.

Death by Audio, an old New York DIY space stomping ground for artists and musicians is closing forever on November 22nd.

In its last days standing, the Williamsburg, Brooklyn, venue will open its entire first floor to the public for a 16-day art installation, appropriately named, Death by Art. The exhibition will include “murals, sculptures, interactive media, projections, sound art, and indie arcade cabinets installed in the hallways and the ranch,” states the event’s Facebook page.

Organizer Mark Kleback told artnet News, “When we found out Death By Audio’s lease was up, we decided that it was time to open up the private loft space up to the public. It’s more hidden than the music venue, but it’s an amazing creative space. There’s a guitar pedal workshop, rehearsal spaces for bands, a huge work space and kitchen, as well as ten artist studios. Death By Art was our answer to the venue’s last shows.” Joe Ahearn, Mark’s partner, adds, “There are so many visual artists to whom a performance space, like Death By Audio, is a foundational pillar of their creative ecosystem, and this show is a way for them to pay homage and participate actively in its last days.”

One participant in the show, Jay Heiselmann, says “Death by Audio was a big part of the reason I moved to New York and has been one of the most special things I have ever been a part of. The community of artists and musicians at [DBA] and the DIY scene in New York as a whole was [like] nothing I ever encountered back in San Francisco.”

As Kleback rightly puts, “everyone is getting pretty sentimental about the end of DBA, so we may as well go out with a bang.”

The hipster media conglomerate that everyone love-hates, VICE, will be moving into the beloved space.

“Death by Art” will open on November 6 at Death By Audio.


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.
Article topics