Dear Russell
1984
A two-part mixed media work created on New York City maps as its base material, dedicated to Russell (likely Russell Connor, Wojnarowicz's partner). The use of urban maps suggests themes of geography, identity, and personal connection within the city.
- Medium
- mixed media on New York City maps, in 2 parts
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Morning Session
June 24, 2021
Collectors with works by David Wojnarowicz
Artists in conversation
Jasper Johns
American · b. 1930
Johns similarly incorporates maps as primary visual and conceptual elements in mixed media works, using cartographic imagery to explore identity, memory, and cultural meaning layered onto familiar surfaces.
Alighiero Boetti
Italian · b. 1940
Boetti used maps as foundational substrates for mixed media works that embed personal and political narratives within geographic structures, mirroring Wojnarowicz's approach of charging urban cartography with intimate human meaning.
Nancy Spero
American · b. 1926
Spero created raw, emotionally charged mixed media works that used existing surfaces and materials to carry deeply personal dedications and urgent human narratives, sharing the intimate confessional energy found in this piece.
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