BEYOND THE STREETS PRESENTS LET THERE BE GWAR

BEYOND THE STREETS PRESENTS LET THERE BE GWAR

A Monumental Retrospective Celebrating Four Decades (40 years!) of Intergalactic Chaos

Curated by Bob Gorman & Roger Gastman

Opening September 12 - November 2, 2025 | FREE ENTRY

Beyond The Streets - 434 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA

Step inside 40 years of DIY insanity:


Original costumes, props & instruments


Giant spew tanks & stage relics


Video installations, rare artwork & ephemera


Every inch transformed into GWAR’s outrageous universe

LOS ANGELES, CA - BEYOND THE STREETS proudly announces LET THERE BE

GWAR, a sprawling retrospective showcasing the 40-year legacy of the legendary art

collective and shock rock band, GWAR. Opening September 12 and running through

November 2, 2025, this exhibition is a free-to-attend deep dive into the outrageous

universe that GWAR has spent four decades constructing through music, performance,

and subversive visual art.

Born from a group of punk musicians and visual artists working out of an abandoned

dairy building in Richmond, Virginia, GWAR emerged in 1984 as a hybrid of heavy metal

theater and absurdist sci-fi mythology. Hunter Jackson, a VCU student crafting costumes

for his film Scumdogs of the Universe, joined forces with musician Dave Brockie, and what began as a one-off stunt evolved into a full-blown, blood-splattered empire of art, performance and chaos.

LET THERE BE GWAR chronicles this intergalactic saga through the most

comprehensive assembly of GWAR artifacts ever seen. The exhibition features:

Handcrafted costumes, instruments, weaponry, and stage props, video installations,

monumental set pieces and spew tanks, a monster toilet, artwork, and rare ephemera.

Every square inch of the gallery transformed into the GWAR universe.

With characters like Oderus Urungus, Techno-Destructo, BälSäc The Jaws of Death,

Beefcake The Mighty, Slymenstra Hymen, Jizmak Da Gusha, Berserker Blothar, and

even a crack-addicted T-Rex named Gor-Gor, just to name a few… the band has not

only carved out its niche but obliterated expectations for what a musical performance

can be.

“For 40 years GWAR have mounted a misanthropic critique of American culture dressed

up as shock rock. This collection of artifacts offers a sense of the unique punk inspired

anti-art aesthetics of underground comics, science fiction fandom, role-playing games,

and satirical splatter flick nerdishness at the heart of the band.” Says GWAR.

GWAR's legacy includes two Grammy nominations, appearances on Late Night with

Jimmy Fallon, NPR's Tiny Desk Concert, TEDx, Beavis and Butt-Head, video games,

comic books, and even a GWAR-themed bar in their hometown. With millions of concert

tickets sold and dozens of self-produced films and documentaries, their cultural footprint

extends far beyond music.

“This isn’t just a music exhibition,” says curator Roger Gastman. “GWAR represents one

of the most successful long-term art collectives in American culture, and their influence

on both underground and mainstream entertainment is undeniable. They came to

destroy... and ended up creating something eternal.”

LET THERE BE GWAR is a celebration of DIY creativity, artistic rebellion, and

collaborative world-building. Whether you’re a lifelong Bohab (GWAR fan) or simply

curious about a band that makes splattering the audience with blood (is it fake?),

tasteless jokes, decapitations of world leaders and pop stars and aliens’ part of their live

set, this is the definitive gateway into the wild, weird, and wonderful world of GWAR.

Along with the exhibition BEYOND THE STREETS and GWAR will be releasing a co-

branded collection. Including a new expanded version of the sold out 400-page book –

LET THERE BE GWAR that comes with a limited edition 7” record, a collection book of

GWARS classic Mind Control Monthly newsletter, apparel, limited edition prints and

much more.