Ray Johnson, the elusive mail-art pioneer whose collages and wordplay created an unorthodox social network, died in 1995, but to me he’s a patron saint of the past lonely year. This catalogue, arriving ahead of a Chicago retrospective, is a sweeping primer on his output—and a creative prompt too.
Curated by Jarrett Earnest and organized in collaboration with The Ray Johnson Estate, the captivating presentation offers an amusing array of never-before-exhibited artworks from the 1950s through the 1990s.
‘What a Dump’ Delves Into the Irreverent World of Ray Johnson
A new exhibition examines the artist’s mailings and collages — and his persona...
Ray Johnson, Pop-Culture Collagist, Master of ‘The Happening’ and the Mysterious World of Zen Emptiness
A conversation with exhibition curator Jarrett Earnest on the occasion of Ray Johnson: WHAT A DUMP, currently on view at David Zwirner in New York.
Johnson was an obsessive artist in many ways—how else could he have produced such a prolific archive—but this exhibition hones in on his celebrity obsessions as well as other interests.
WHAT A DUMP: A Conversation about Ray Johnson and His Exhibition @ David Zwirner
In this exhibition, the curator Jarrett Earnest aims to somewhat reframe the conversation around Johnson—the pranksterish artist known for his mail art and collages—in order to shine a light on him as a queer figure who was in frequent dialogue with other queer artists of the era.
DAVID ZWIRNER EXPLORES ARTIST RAY JOHNSON’S QUEER IDENTITY IN “WHAT A DUMP” CURATOR JARRETT EARNEST PRESENTS A NUANCED PORTRAIT OF THE OBSESSIVE MAIL ART PIONEER
“Untitled (Rimbaud),” circa 1971, an example of mail art exchanged between Ray Johnson and his friends.Credit...Ray Johnson Estate
4 Art Gallery Shows to See Right Now: Ray Johnson WHAT A DUMP
NOTHNG OF THE MONTH CLUB - The last time I visited Off Paradise in Chinatown, right across from the former office office, it was a dreary autumn day. The gallery's current exhibit, NOTHNG OF THE MONTH CLUB (with the “I” purposely left out), very much reflects springtime with its playful tone and humor...
Ray Johnson, Untitled (Ray Johnson and Horseshoe Crab) (1992). Courtesy of the Morgan Library & Museum © The Ray Johnson Estate, New York.
Ray Johnson Spent the Final Years of His Life Developing an Enigmatic Photography Project. It'll Go on View Next Summer...
Ray Johnson's “Untitled (Ray Johnson’s Silhouette and Wood, Stehli Beach)” (Autumn 1992). Image courtesy of the Morgan Library & Museum © The Ray Johnson Estate, New York
"An Elusive Artist's Trove of Never-Before-Seen Images" In the years leading up to his death, Ray Johnson took up photography. Now, this body of work is shedding light on his final days...