Twyla, the online contemporary art platform, is offering an exclusive collection of four limited edition prints in hand-signed editions of 25 by artist and poet John Giorno.
John Giorno's wide-ranging and illustrious career has intersected with everything from Warhol's Factory and the Beats to AIDS activism, Hip-Hop and Pop Art. John has always used his poetry to elevate his art to more than the canvas - he is known for transforming his words into ground-breaking performances, installations and multimedia experiences since the 1960s.
For many decades, John has created text-based works that metamorphose excerpts of his poetry into visual statements or ''Poem Paintings.'' Depicted on bold, rainbow-hued backgrounds, the phrases range from the tongue-in-cheek and humorous, such as ''Life is a Killer'' to the evocative ''Living in Your Eyes.'' John Giorno harnesses the universal power of language to encourage viewers to stop and reflect on how his words might be interpreted individually.
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Last year, Hayward Gallery's ''Infinite Mix,'' the stellar video art exhibition held at 180 Strand, London, featured a piece by Ugo Rondinone featuring Giorno. The New York poet performed his poem Thanx 4 Nothing, written on his 70th birthday. The visually stunning, intimate and complex work was the unchallenged star of the show.
Born and based in New York City, John Giorno is an innovator who has been defying conventional definitions of poetry, performance and art since he emerged on the New York art scene during the late 1950s. In the 1960s, he began producing multi-media, multi-sensory events concurrent with Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable. He worked with Rauschenberg's Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T) in 1966, and with Bob Moog the following two years. His breakthroughs include Dial-A-Poem, which was first presented in 1968 at the Architectural Society of New York, and was included in the MoMA's Information exhibition in 1970.
John's work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Centre Georges Pompidou and Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris; and Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane; among others. His recent 80th birthday was commemorated with a major exhibition of his work shown at 13 venues throughout New York City.
