The late poet, artist and activist John Giorno (1936-2019) was known for taking poetry beyond the printed page into the realms of performance, sound installation and painting. Giorno stated that he was “determined to make poetry a razor blade cutting through the ego of America’s karma.” The exhibition will bring together a select group of Giorno’s work ranging from early prints to his black-and-white text and rainbow paintings. Also on view will be a selection of materials from Giorno’s archive showing how he pieced together his poems, while demonstrating the public and private friendships that made him a force and an essential voice in the New York art scene since the 1960s. Giorno’s acclaimed work DIAL-A-POEM (first launched in 1969) will also be featured; visitors will have on-demand, 24-hour access to over 250 recordings of poems read by 132 poets, artists, musicians, and activists—all at one’s fingertips and the dial of a phone number.
