Description
Book SynopsisDavid Wojnarowicz’s use of photography, at times in conjunction with text and painting, was extraordinary, as was his unprecedented way of addressing the AIDS crisis and issues of censorship, homophobia, and narrative. Brush Fires in the Social Landscape , begun in col - laboration with the artist before his death in 1992 and first published in 1994, engaged what Wojnarowicz would refer to as his “tribe” or community. Contributors—from artist and writer friends such as Karen Finley, Nan Goldin, Kiki Smith, Vince Aletti, Cynthia Carr, and Lucy R. Lippard, to David Cole, the lawyer who represented him in his case against Donald Wildmon and the American Family Association—together offer a compelling, provocative understanding of the artist and his work. Brush Fires is also the only book that features the breadth of Wojnarowicz’s work with photography. Now, on the twentieth anniversary of Brush Fires , when interest in the artist’s work has increased exponentially, this expanded and redesigned edition of this seminal publication puts the work in front of an audience all over again while maintaining the integrity of the original. Through the lens of various contributors, the book address Wojnarowicz’s profound legacy: the relentless tugs, allegiances, censorship, and ethical issues, alongside his aesthetic brilliance, courage, and influence.
Trade ReviewIn Aperture's new and expanded 20th-anniversary rerelease,
Brush Fires in the Social Landscape retains every bit of the high-intensity rage, sadness, and fear that Wojnarowicz's work always had. With its focus on prejudice against gays during the time of the AIDS crisis, Wojnarowicz's work could easily feel like a time capsule, but it doesn't. –
ARTnewsIt is potent, subversive, and heartbreaking –
American PhotoThe word undone attests to his capacity for making an emotional connection with viewers, but also to the magical way in which his art seems even now to rewrite the world by restoring that which has been written out of history. –
BookforumAlthough artist David Wojnarowicz died in 1992, his works seems to have colored the complete decade of the '90s. His incendiary take on AIDS, censorship, and homophobia gave a visual momentum to a rising revolution of political and activist art and demonstration. –
AdvocateIn Aperture’s new and expanded 20th-anniversary rerelease,
Brush Fires in the Social Landscape retains every bit of the high-intensity rage, sadness, and fear that Wojnarowicz’s work always had. –
Art NewsThe artist’s use of photography, at times in conjunction with text and painting, was extraordinary, as was his unprecedented way of addressing the AIDS crisis and issues of censorship, homophobia, and narrative. –
The New York Public Library
