Henry Art Gallery
October 19, 2012 – February 3, 2013
This fall the University of Washington is privileged to welcome to campus performance artist and contemporary music pioneer Laurie Anderson. In conjunction with her visit, the Henry’s Test Site will host a focused exhibition, Collected Stories: Books by Laurie Anderson, that traces the artist’s long-standing interest in storytelling, drawing, and technology. On view will be a selection of books produced over the last forty years. The exhibition will include early work such as the comic bookBaloney and Moccasins and Transportation Transportation (both 1970) and her rich production of work from the 1980s and 90s. Also featured are very recent works including The Language of the Future (Jezyc Przyszlosci), Delusion, and Pillow Book, all produced in 2012.
Laurie Anderson has persistently and creatively mined the book format and explored it in a variety of media ranging from handmade and traditionally bound works on paper to audio and electronic formats. Her books are at times interwoven with her performances. Words with the Words The in Front of Them, included in the Henry’s installation, comprises in graphic form the text from her performance Dirtday! … a riotous and soulful collection of songs and stories.
Dirtday! is the third and last in a series of solo story works that also includes Happiness and The End of the Moon. It will be performed at Meany Hall on October 20, 2012.
Collected Stories: Books by Laurie Anderson offers an exceptional opportunity to engage with this crucial, ongoing, and still under-recognized aspect of the artist’s unique contribution to contemporary art.
For more information on Anderson’s participation with the University of Washington, visit: http://uwworldseries.org/other-events/laurie-anderson/.
Collected Stories: Books by Laurie Anderson is selected by the artist and organized by the Henry curatorial team. It is made possible with general operating support from ArtsFund and the patrons of the Henry.