David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night

by David Breslin

The first comprehensive and most definitive source to date on David Wojnarowicz

This engaging and richly illustrated book comprehensively examines the life and art of David Wojnarowicz (1954 - 1992), who came to prominence in New York’s East Village art world of the 1980s, actively embracing all media and forging an expansive range of work both fiercely political and highly personal. First displayed in raw storefront galleries, his work achieved national attention at the same moment that the AIDS epidemic was affecting a generation of artists, himself included.
 
In a thoughtful overview essay, David Breslin looks at the breadth of the artist’s work as well as Wojnarowicz’s broad range of interests and influences, situating the artist in the art-historical canon and pushing beyond the biographical focus that has characterized much of the scholarship on Wojnarowicz to fully assess his paintings, photographs, installations, performances, and writing. A close examination of groups of works by David Kiehl sheds new light on the artist’s process and the context in which the works were created. Essays by Julie Ault, Gregg Bordowitz, C. Carr, Marvin Taylor, and National Book Award finalist Hanya Yanagihara investigate the relationship between artistic production and cultural activism during the AIDS crisis, as well as provide a necessary accounting and close evaluation of divergent practices that have frequently been subsumed under broad labels like “East Village,” “queer,” “postmodern,” and “neo-expressionist.”

Genres: Art, LGBT, Nonfiction, Biography

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful massive volume produced by the Whitney Museum of American Art in conjunction with a comprehensive retrospective of David Wojnarowicz's work in 2018.

Features many full page and double page full colour reproductions, essays (including one from Hanya Yanagihara), and a biographical dateline compiled as a collaboration by Cynthia Carr and David Wojnarowicz.

This coffee table book can be savoured, sampled, explored, and dipped into for inspiration. It's bright, delicious, infuriating, and unnerving. Cannot praise it enough.

[Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

People like David Wojnarowicz were like meteors which, coming into contact and friction with the atmosphere, burst into flames, and, dazzling with their brightness, suddenly die out.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this exhibition, and the catalog really does it all justice!

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd been wanting a book on David Wojnarowicz for awhile and this one certainly suits the bill. - lots of high quality plates, biographical information, etc. The only draw back was some of the smaller pictures(not the plates) were too small so that it was almost like if they'd not been there they wouldn't have been missed much. Still, that's a very minor quibble.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely breathtaking. You can go into a deep trance reading it. David Worjnarowicz's work is beguiling, beautiful and tragic. His activism is still relevant (unfortunately) today. He was a survivor and prolific artist that utilized every medium to communicate and get his message out.

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous companion to the first major Wojnarowicz retrospective in over a decade. David's activist art and firebrand words are perfectly suited for this time of rising tyranny, providing perspective from the grave when we need it most.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published by the Whitney Museum of American Art the book features a collection of academic essays about the work of Wojnarowicz and a catalogue of his works.

[Gilberto Baca · Rating 5 out of 5]

fucking amazing exhibition catalog for a fucking amazing show

[Dylan Kiewel · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love david so much

[Mills College Library]

700.92 W847b 2018