David Wojnarowicz Tom Warren Collaboration 1983/85. Whitney Museum Jul 13 to Sep 30, 2018
The Wojnarowicz portrait was shot at Semaphore Gallery, Barry Blinderman let me use the space because he was interested in showing the results and I had held my Portrait Studio at Semaphore in the Spring which was also an exhibit. The collaboration show never happened, I distributed several prints to artists but never followed up to see the project through. If it wasn’t for James Poppitz of Fashion Moda, this collaboration wouldn’t have happened. (see the catalog of David Wojnarowicz, “History Keeps Me Awake At Night”) As I shot the photograph in June 1983 David asked me to frame the shot spaciously to allow him room to paint on. I did so, the only studio portrait I ever did like that. I shot a horizontal but when Giant Photo of Union Square printed it they took the liberty of orienting it from landscape to portrait cropping in the sides. Such is fate, it was gone with. I think James Poppitz picked the print up from the lab and delivered to David (as well as to the three other artists involved). I collected David’s from David. We met in the gas station parking lot along the Bowery that is now the B Bar and Grill. David brought up Peter Hujar, which made me think of Bidlo’s Factory at PS1 where I first met Peter. We had an excellent visit, the best I had with David. David said had we had this before he would have put more into the collaboration. I think it’s agreed it came out fine.
David Wojnarovicz Portrait for collaboration, Semaphore Gallery June 1983
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