John Waters goes back to 1965 when Ike pulled all of lil' Tina's strings...

As a director of some of the most acclaimed highbrow B-movies of all time, Supertouch amigo JOHN WATERS needs no further introduction. Quietly working the night shift as a fine artist for years now, the Baltimore-bound obsessive's hard work has finally landed him a spot in the most hallowed hall of the modern art world, namely, the GAGOSIAN GALLERY, where the artist's solo "Rear Projection" show opened to a throng of Hollywood players, weirdos, fanboys and girls, and well-wishing lookie-loos on Saturday nite. Comprised largely of C-prints of photos Waters has taken of TV screens bearing his favorite stills from movies of all kinds, the works pulse with the raw humor and dry wit that is Waters' hallmark. Of particular note in this top notch collection of works are several large-scale Pop "object" sculptures that include a giant roach motel, a reproduction of the $250-a-jar La Mere face cream (this is Hollywood, after all), and a monster bottle of poppers big enough to keep all of LA bugging for a month. The crown jewel, in Waters' epic display, however, is the beyond-lifelike sculpture of a dapper Ike Turner circa 1965, kneeling before, and holding the strings of, a marionette doll version of Tina Turner. Quipped Waters on our private exhibition visit about the headlines in the NY Post after Ike Turner's death: "You know what they wrote when Ike died?: "Ike Beat Tina to Death!" HAVE A LOOK: