David+Wojnarowicz

Kinslow

= David Wojnarowicz: The Other History: Un-Telling Untold Lies =

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I was first introduced to the writings and artwork of David Wojnarowicz in the Fall of 2006 while I was taking CLST 201: Introduction to Cultural Studies. During this course we read his memoir: //Close to Knives: A Memoir of Disintegration// in which he details his experiences of a life lived on the outskirts of American society be it on the streets of New York or within the queer community as a homosexual man with AIDS. Though he would pass away of this illness in 1992, the mark he left on the New York art world of the 1980s is undeniable.

One reason I find Wojnarowicz to be such a compelling figure is the expanse of his oeuvres. Not only was he a painter but also a photographer, writer, performance artist, filmmaker, and activist. In addition to his paintings an photography for which he is probably best known, Wojnarowicz made super-8 films such as Heroin, played in a band named 3 Teens Kill 4. He enjoyed success in his lifetime, seeing his work displayed in prominent East Village galleries and as a participant in the 1985 Whitney Biennial. Wojnarowicz’s work certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, the images and words he evokes are powerful, extremely controversial, and nearly always discussion provoking. Just before his death at age 37 in the 1990’s, Wojnarowicz successfully won a lawsuit he filed against neo-cons The American Family group in which he claimed his artwork had been copied and distorted violating the New York Artists' Authorship Rights Act. This remains an important court decision in the art world today.