#davidwojnarowicz

[abridurif]

D’abord il y a le Monde. Et il y a l’Autre Monde. C’est dans l’Autre Monde qu’il m’arrive de perdre pied. Dans ses changements de calendriers, dans son existence préfabriquée. Ses dédales tortueux dont je me lasse parfois lorsque j’essaie de tenir bon, de m’adapter minute par minute : le monde des feux rouges, des interdictions de fumer, le monde de la location, des clôtures qui protègent des centaines d’hectares de nature sauvage et vierge des intrusions humaines. Cet endroit où, parce que l’on est né avec des siècles de retard, on se voit refuser l’accès à la terre ou à l’espace, la liberté de choix ou de mouvement. Le monde acheté ; le monde possédé. Le monde des bruits cryptés : le monde des mots, le monde des mensonges. Le monde vendu en kit ; le monde de la vitesse industrielle. L’Autre Monde dans lequel je me suis toujours senti étranger. Pourtant il y a le Monde où l’on peut s’adapter et repousser les limites de l’Autre Monde grâce aux clés de l’imagination. Mais là encore, l’imagination est cryptée par les informations fabriquées dans l’Autre Monde. On s’arrête devant un feu qui passe au rouge et l’on vieillit subitement de quelques siècles. Il paraît que l’Autre Monde est aux mains d’une autre espèce d’hommes. Il faut avoir du recul ou prendre le temps pour découvrir l’Autre Monde. Seul ce décalage permet de le mettre à nu pour la première fois car il s’est insinué dans votre système sanguin comme un amant invisible. Petit à petit il épouse la forme de vos cellules et vole leur énergie, il se tapit à l’intérieur du corps jusqu’à ce qu’il en devienne le prolongement. Voyager et découvrir des cultures primitives nous ouvre les yeux sur l’Autre Monde ; on comprend qu’en inventant le mot « nature » nous avons divorcé avec le sol sur lequel nous marchons. Quand j’étais petit je comprenais tout cela intuitivement, de la même façon que l’on ressent une sourde peur sans pouvoir l’identifier ou la différencier d’une table ou d’une tasse ou des cieux qui roulent derrière les fenêtres. David Wojnarowicz, Au bord du gouffre, Éditions du Rocher/ Le Serpent à plumes, 2004

[cinesexual]

Click the link above to watch this classic queer documentary. ☝️☝️☝️

Discover thousands more here, including a couple more by Wojnarowicz himself.

From Perplexity:

Wojnarowicz: Fuck You Faggot Fucker (2020) is a documentary that captures the incendiary life and work of David Wojnarowicz, a pivotal figure in New York’s 1980s queer art and AIDS activism scenes. Directed by Chris McKim and produced by World of Wonder, the film collages Wojnarowicz’s vast archives—including Super 8 footage, audio diaries, and artworks—to create a visceral portrait of an artist who channeled personal trauma and political rage into groundbreaking multimedia creations[2][4].

Key Aspects of the Documentary

Archival Richness: The film draws from over 20 hours of Wojnarowicz’s personal recordings, 10,000 images, and ambient sounds from his apartment, offering an unmediated glimpse into his creative process and relationships. His partnership with photographer Peter Hujar, who urged him to preserve his work, is a recurring emotional anchor[2][6].

AIDS Activism: As the crisis decimated his community, Wojnarowicz became a vocal critic of government inaction. The documentary highlights his involvement with ACT UP and his searing art that juxtaposed religious iconography with queer sexuality, such as the titular 1984 collage that reclaimed homophobic slurs[1][4].

Cinematic Style: Mirroring Wojnarowicz’s collage-based aesthetic, the film avoids traditional talking heads, instead layering interviews with contemporaries like Fran Lebowitz over archival material. This approach amplifies the raw, punk energy of his work but has drawn criticism for occasionally feeling frenetic[3][4].

Relevance to Gay Cinephilia & Film History

Queer Counterculture: The documentary contextualizes Wojnarowicz within the East Village’s post-punk "Cinema of Transgression," which used shock and DIY aesthetics to confront homophobia and censorship. His unfinished film A Fire in My Belly (1986–87), featuring ants crawling on a crucifix, remains a touchstone for queer provocation in art[5][6].

Legacy of Resistance: By centering Wojnarowicz’s voice and unapologetic politics, the film underscores his influence on later artists like Zoe Strauss and Wolfgang Tillmans, who similarly blend personal narrative with social critique[6].

Critics note the irony of the documentary’s censored title (Fk You Fggot Fker*)—a compromise that arguably betrays Wojnarowicz’s ethos of defiance[3]. Nonetheless, the film stands as a vital record of an artist who weaponized creativity against societal erasure, making it essential viewing for understanding queer art’s role in LGBTQ+ liberation movements[1][4].

Citations: [1] https://www.nziff.co.nz/2021/wellington/wojnarowicz-fuck-you-faggot-fucker/ [2] https://www.frieze.com/article/david-wojnarowicz-brings-us-closer-his-real-persona [3] https://letterboxd.com/film/wojnarowicz-fk-you-fggot-fker/ [4] https://povmagazine.com/wojnarowicz-work-of-wonder/ [5] https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/06/films-reflect-impact-made-by-activist-and-artist-david-wojnarowicz/ [6] https://www.theartstory.org/artist/wojnarowicz-david/ [7] https://harvardartmuseums.org/calendar/transgressions-david-wojnarowicz-post-punk-cinema-and-queer-video-activism [8] https://hyperallergic.com/600726/a-david-wojnarowicz-documentary-honors-the-gritty-glorious-chaos-of-his-life/ [9] https://www.washingtonblade.com/2021/03/24/wojnarowicz-burns-with-a-queer-icons-brilliant-fury/ [10] https://www.artic.edu/artworks/184212/queer-basher-icarus-falling [11] https://greenwichvillagehistory.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/david-wojnarowicz-1954-1992/ [12] https://lambdaliteraryreview.org/2020/07/david-wojnarowicz-2/ [13] https://artistarchives.hosting.nyu.edu/DavidWojnarowicz/KnowledgeBase/index.php/Artist_Biography.html [14] https://kinolorber.com/product/wojnarowicz [15] https://hyperallergic.com/600726/a-david-wojnarowicz-documentary-honors-the-gritty-glorious-chaos-of-his-life/ [16] https://www.filmin.es/pelicula/wojnarowicz-fuck-you-faggot-fucker [17] https://www.lacasaencendida.es/en/films/wojnarowicz-fuck-you-faggot-fucker-chris-mckim [18] https://www.lavanguardia.com/peliculas-series/peliculas/wojnarowicz-fuck-you-faggot-fucker-685263 [19] https://povmagazine.com/wojnarowicz-work-of-wonder/ [20] https://www.frieze.com/article/stories-we-missed-met-galas-david-wojnarowicz-problem [21] https://www.instagram.com/dartfestivalchile/p/CkCWQJQDR9R/wojnarowicz-fuck-you-faggot-fucker%EF%B8%8Fdir-chris-mckima-finales-de-la-d%C3%A9cada-de-los-/ [22] https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/david-wojnarowicz-documentary-2020-review-1234576260/ [23] https://artblart.com/tag/david-wojnarowicz-fuck-you-faggot-fucker/ [24] https://pioneerworks.org/broadcast/david-wojnarowicz-chris-mckim-documentary [25] https://michaeljcinema.com/2021/03/19/wojnarowicz-fk-you-fggot-fker/ [26] https://www.macba.cat/en/activities/dart-festival-2021-wojnarowicz-fuck-you-faggot-fucker-2/ [27] http://www.polarimagazine.com/interviews/matt-fennemore-david-wojnarowicz/ [28] https://lambdaliteraryreview.org/2018/08/david-wojnarowicz/ [29] https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/40661/1/impact-radical-artist-david-wojnarowicz-six-art-works-seminal-whitney-new-york [30] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wojnarowicz [31] https://issuesincontemporary.art.blog/2020/05/10/invisible-no-more-david-wojnarowiczs-fight-for-lgbtq-visibility/ [32] https://reframe.sussex.ac.uk/gqc/2012/10/27/wojnarowiczs-world-view/ [33] https://www.sleek-mag.com/article/david-wojnarowicz/ [34] https://www.phillips.com/detail/david-wojnarowicz/NY010322/33 [35] https://kinolorber.com/product/wojnarowicz-dvd [36] https://letterboxd.com/film/wojnarowicz-fk-you-fggot-fker/ [37] https://www.nziff.co.nz/2021/wellington/wojnarowicz-fuck-you-faggot-fucker/

[larsfredriksvedberg]

#peterbellamy #davidwojnarowicz #1985 https://www.instagram.com/p/CeECer9Kygl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[asalvadorsala]

Untitled (Abandoned Car With globe), 1988-89 #DavidWojnarowicz https://www.instagram.com/p/CixJVQPNfnu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fionathefury]

Peter Hujar

“David Wojnarowicz (Village Voice "Heartsick: Fear and Loving in the Gay Community")”, 1983

[harvardfineartslib]

This is the Part 2 of the life and work of David Wojnarowicz.

Wojnarowicz wrote about his film, A Fire in My Belly, in a 1988 letter to Barry Blinderman, who was curating a retrospective of his work at the University Galleries at Illinois State University in Normal, IL, as follows:

“The film deals with ancient myth and its modern counterpart. It explores structures of power and control—using at times the fire ants north of Mexico City as a metaphor for social structure…. I explore spectacle in the form of the wrestling matches that occur in small arenas in the poor neighborhoods where myth is an accepted part of the sport; the guys with fantastic masks are considered the “good guys” whereas those without masks are personifications of evil…. Images of loaves of bread being sewn up as well as a human mouth—control and silencing through economics.”

Wojnarowicz conjured up many images, using footagefilmed while traveling in Mexico, whether wrestling matches, cock and bull fights, impoverished dwellings, cripples begging for coins or bread, an enslaved monkey, a burning and spinning globe, etc. To him, these images are symbols of rage, as well as “indifference to the value of life.” (A Fire in My Belly, pp. 357)

Image 1: Front end paper showing Wojnarowicz’ work, Untitled (One day this kid…), 1990 Image 2: Front cover

Fire in the belly : the life and times of David Wojnarowicz Cynthia Carr. New York : Bloomsbury, 2012. English HOLLIS number: 990133116200203941

[bettedavissmoking]

“David Wojnarowicz (Silence = Death),” Andreas Sterzing, 1989. This portrait of the artist David Wojnarowicz was made by Andreas Sterzing in 1989, a year in which AIDS was estimated by the Centers for Disease Control to be the second leading cause of death among men 25 to 44 years of age. Wojnarowicz started out as an avant-garde painter and filmmaker in Lower Manhattan, but his work became far more politically charged after he discovered, around 1987, that he was H.I.V. positive. His sewn-up mouth became a recurring image in his art and activism, a gesture that took the slogan “Silence = Death,” which had been adopted as a rallying cry by AIDS activists and serves as the picture’s subtitle, to its logical, literal extreme. The task of educating the public about the crisis was largely left to activists and artists like Wojnarowicz. “I think what I really fear about death is the silencing of my voice,” he once said. “I feel this incredible pressure to leave something of myself behind.” #WorldAIDSDay #DavidWojnarowicz #Wojnarowicz #AndreasSterzing #SilenceEqualsDeath #KnowYourStatus https://www.instagram.com/p/CW-BftRMIui/?utm_medium=tumblr

[harvard-art-museums-photography]

Untitled, David Wojnarowicz, 1989, Harvard Art Museums: Photographs

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Schneider/Erdman Printer's Proof Collection, partial gift, and partial purchase through the Margaret Fisher Fund Courtesy of the Estate of David Wojnarowicz and P·P·O·W, New York Size: 40.6 × 50.8 cm (16 × 20 in.) Medium: Gelatin silver print

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/356223

[moma-prints]

Slam Click, David Wojnarowicz, 1983, MoMA: Drawings and Prints

Gift of Emily and Jerry Spiegel Size: 43 1/2 x 32" (110.5 x 81.3 cm) Medium: Mixed media on foamcore

http://www.moma.org/collection/works/91317

[erregalvez]

⚫️ Homenaje a David Wojnarowicz ⚫️ Collage sobre papel. . . #homenaje #davidwojnarowicz #erregalvez #collage #typography #art https://www.instagram.com/p/CAIwg0_q5vX/?igshid=brr5zr6wzyec

[tizianomazzilli]

HORES🖤PATTI SMITH🖤RIMBAUD REMIXES🖤ART BY TIZIANO MAZZILLI🖤ALL ARTWORKS FOR SALE 🖤COMMISSIONS & COLLABORATIONS WELCOMED DM ME @tiziano_mazzilli #pattismith #horses #robertmapplethorpe #richardhambleton #artonsleeves #recordart #arthurrimbaud #davidwojnarowicz (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHeUs5vn0iq01KiVxNynnRzzH2F6N2CQ9w7jJ00/?igshid=1tacdn9phz8rw

[girl-with-a-book-blog1]

 10/24 shots from David Wojnarowicz’s Arthur Rimbaud in New York, discussed in the chapter In Loving Him by Olivia Laing in The Lonely City

[whitneygd]

David Wojnarowicz Tote

Produced exclusively for the Whitney Shop. Photograph by Jens Mortensen.

[ruthypie100]

School’s out (forever) 😷👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼🇬🇧 #schoolsout #isolate repost @dianemeyerstudio ・・・ Two editions of this piece, Class One (Paradise School), are in exhibitions opening this this week. Editon 1/3 is in a show opening tonight @hoodmuseum @dartmouthcollege “School Photos and Their Afterlife” curated by Marianne Hirsch and Leo Spitzer. Im so excited to be in a show with so many artists Ive admired for so long including #vikmuniz #carriemaeweems #davidwojnarowicz @marcelobrodsky and especially my teacher and mentor @lorie.novak The show runs until April 12. Edition 2/3 of the piece is in a show opening tomorrow, January 9 @calpolygallery @calpolyslo “Beyond the Surface: The Photograph as Object” curated by @alinesmithson @lenscratch the show runs until January 31 and includes an amazing group of artists @kobramaier @booholler @lizstek @marinafontstudio @jpterlizzi @kkdepaul @adriene_hughes @joerudko @sandra_klein_photography and @photoscratch #groupshow #opening #vernacularphotography #schoolphotos #classphotos #beyondthesurface #photographasobject #schoolphotosandtheirafterlife #embroideredphotograph #handsewn #contemporaryart #contemporarycraft #hoodmuseum #reunion #2020exhibitions #manipulatedphotography #sewnpixels @klompchinggallery https://www.instagram.com/p/B94vIpunMdm/?igshid=d3prjpe7zm7w

[imwd2030]

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High Tech meets Fun Tech conservation at @nyupreservation whilst attempting a 3D scan of the interior of the Metamorphosis mold. . This will serve as a record for documenting its current condition and help us to track its deterioration and dimensional changes over time. #davidwojnarowicz @faleslibrary @nyu_laguardiastudio https://www.instagram.com/p/ByF5lqBl4h0/?igshid=1d996pl6lqyy8