To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Naked Lunch, the Stellan Holm Gallery presents The Sky Is Thin As Paper Here, an exhibition of paintings, "shotgun" paintings, and drawings by the book's influential, Beat writer, William S. Burroughs (1914-1997). The pieces included in the exhibit were created between 1982-1995, a very prolific period for Burroughs in terms of visual art.
Burroughs was not formally trained as an artist and came upon the craft late in his life. He created with various tools - brushes, spray cans, printing brayers, even guns, "allowing his unconscious to direct the action." The show's press release provides a quote from Burrough's made in 1989 which helps in understanding his painting technique, "There must be a random factor: drips of paint down the canvas, setting the paint on fire, squirting the paint. Perhaps the most basic random factor is the shotgun blast, producing an explosion of color into unpredictable, uncontrollable patterns and forms. Without this random factor, the painter can only copy."
The "random factor" in his painting is echoed in his writing as he often employed a "cut-up" technique which entailed cutting up various fragments of text written by himself and other authors and piecing them together randomly. Cutting and pasting can also can be seen on a few of his canvases on display that have cut-out photographs of animals affixed on to their surfaces. Burroughs' writing (particularly Naked Lunch) is known for its heroin-fueled, trippy, nightmarish scenarios. His child-like scribbles and colorful swirls on view here are a pleasant and non-disturbing peek into his enigmatic, drug-riddled mind.
Learn more about The Sky Is Thin As Paper Here at Stellanholm.com. Find out what else is happening to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Naked Lunch at Nakedlunch.org. Through October 31st.
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