Kembra Pfahler (born August 4, 1961 in Hermosa Beach, California, United States) is an American filmmaker associated with the Cinema of Transgression, a performance artist, rock musician, and film actress. She is mostly known as the lead singer of the glam, punk, shock rock band The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, and for the often nude and sexual nature of her art exhibits. Pfahler has been called the "godmother of modern day shock art". She is the daughter of surfer Freddy Pfahler, and the sister of Adam Pfahler, the drummer of Jawbreaker. She grew up in Southern California and she went to college at the School of Visual Arts in New York and studied under Mary Heilmann and Lorraine O’Grady.
In 1990, Pfahler and Samoa Moriki founded the band The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black on the Lower East Side. The band was named in homage to actress Karen Black. They released three albums: A National Healthcare (1993); Anti-Naturalists (1995); and Black Date (1998); as well as several limited-edition presses on vinyl.
Pfahler and Samoa shot many horror films and used visual and performance art for their performances. The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black's live performance of The Wall of Vagina appears on Disinformation DVD - The Complete Series. The band also appear on the album Virgin Voices: A Tribute to Madonna.
Pfahler sang backup on the song "Shoot, Knife, Strangle, Beat and Crucify" on the album Brutality and Bloodshed for All of GG Allin And The Murder Junkies. In 2013, she covered the traditional "Barnacle Bill the Sailor" for the sea shanty compilation Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys.
