David Wojnarowicz: Brush Fires in the Social Landscape

David Wojnarowicz's use of photography, often done in conjunction with writing or painting, was extraordinary—as was his way of addressing the AIDS crisis and issues of censorship and homophobia. Brush Fires in the Social Landscape, begun in collaboration with the artist before his death in 1992 and first published in 1994, engaged what Wojnarowicz would refer to as his tribe or community. Contributors—from artist and writer friends such as Karen Finley, Nan Goldin, Kiki Smith, Vince Aletti, C. Carr and Lucy R. Lippard, to David Cole, the lawyer who represented him in his case against Donald Wildmon and the American Family Association—together offer a compelling, provocative understanding of the artist and his work. Brush Fires is also the only book that features the breadth of Wojnarowicz's work with photography. Now, on the twentieth anniversary of Brush Fires, when interest in the artist's work has increased exponentially, this expanded and redesigned edition of this seminal publication puts the work in front of an audience all over again while maintaining the integrity of the original. Through the lens of various contributors, the book addresses Wojnarowicz's profound legacy: the relentless censorship and ethical issues, alongside his aesthetic brilliance, courage and influence.

Format: Hardback
Number of pages: 240
Publication date: 2015-04-28
Measurements: 7.2 x 9.1 x 1 inches
ISBN: 9781597112949

In Aperture’s new and expanded 20th-anniversary rerelease, Brush Fires in the Social Landscape retains every bit of the high-intensity rage, sadness, and fear that Wojnarowicz’s work always had. With its focus on prejudice against gays during the time of the AIDS crisis, Wojnarowicz’s work could easily feel like a time capsule, but it doesn’t. –ARTnews
It is potent, subversive, and heartbreaking –American Photo
The word undone attests to his capacity for making an emotional connection with viewers, but also to the magical way in which his art seems even now to rewrite the world by restoring that which has been written out of history. –Bookforum
Although artist David Wojnarowicz died in 1992, his works seems to have colored the complete decade of the ’90s. His incendiary take on AIDS, censorship, and homophobia gave a visual momentum to a rising revolution of political and activist art and demonstration. –Advocate
In Aperture’s new and expanded 20th-anniversary rerelease, Brush Fires in the Social Landscape retains every bit of the high-intensity rage, sadness, and fear that Wojnarowicz’s work always had. –Art News
The artist’s use of photography, at times in conjunction with text and painting, was extraordinary, as was his unprecedented way of addressing the AIDS crisis and issues of censorship, homophobia, and narrative. –The New York Public Library

David Wojnarowicz authored five books. His artwork is in numerous private and public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, among other institutions. In addition to his artwork, Wojnarowicz attained national prominence as a writer and advocate for AIDS awareness, and for his stance against censorship. He died from AIDS in 1992. The Estate of David Wojnarowicz is represented by PPOW.
David Wojnarowicz authored five books. His artwork is in numerous private and public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, among other institutions. In addition to his artwork, Wojnarowicz attained national prominence as a writer and advocate for AIDS awareness, and for his stance against censorship. He died from AIDS in 1992. The Estate of David Wojnarowicz is represented by PPOW.
Lucy R. Lippard is a writer, teacher, and activist, as well as the author of sixteen books on contemporary art and the novel I See/You Mean. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Frank Jewett Mather Award for Criticism, two National Endowment for the Arts grants in criticism, the Claude Fuess Award for public service, a citation from New York City mayor David Dinkins, and the Smith College Medal, among many other honors and awards.