David Wojnarowicz in burning house T-shirt. Photo copyright and courtesy Andreas Sterzing.
We kicked off David Wojnarowicz’s 70th year with citywide gatherings bringing together generations of people touched by David’s life and work.
Experience some of these events through images and videos below—and consider supporting our programs this year.
We owe a huge thank you to the producers these wonderful events:
The screening featured significant film works by David including A Fire in My Belly along with a selection of his memorable screen roles, archival rarities, and contemporary works that engage with David’s legacy.
The work shown included:
David Wojnarowicz. Arthur Rimbaud in New York. 1978–79. Slideshow, approx. 7 min. Courtesy the Estate of David Wojnarowicz and P.P.O.W, New York
Stray Dogs (from Manhattan Love Suicides). 1985. USA. Directed by Richard Kern. With David Wojnarowicz, Montana Hewson, Bill Rice. 10 min.
A Fire in My Belly, Work in Progress. 1986–87. USA. Directed by David Wojnarowicz. In two parts; 13 min. and 7 min.
Listen to This. 1992. USA. Directed by Tom Rubnitz. With David Wojnarowicz. 15 min.
Magic Box Slideshow. 2005–15. USA. Directed by Matt Wolf. 4 min. Courtesy the artist
ITSOFOMO [monoband version]. 1989. USA. Directed by David Wojnarowicz, Ben Neill. 23 min. Courtesy the Estate of David Wojnarowicz and P.P.O.W, New York
Leslie Lohman Museum of Art hosted an event honoring David Wojnarowicz on September 13, 2024.
“Each and Every Gesture Carries a Reverberation” featured a presentation of David’s work by artists, curators, writers, scholars, and editors. This was be followed by a performance of ITSOFOMO (In the Shadow of Forward Motion) by composer and musician Ben Neill—originally presented in collaboration with David as a live multimedia performance at The Kitchen in 1989. There was also a brief reception with select works from the Museum’s holdings on display in celebration of David’s legacy.
Photography by Avery Brunkus, Courtesy of the New York City AIDS Memorial
The New York AIDS Memorial held an event remembering David Wojnarowicz on September 14, 2024.
The David Wojnarowicz Foundation, P·P·O·W, and Visual AIDS joined NY AIDS Memorial in staging a reading of The Waterfront Journals, a collection of autobiographical fiction inspired by the many people he encountered in his early twenties. Readers included Morgan Bassichis, Nayland Blake, James Romberger, Amy Scholder, Pamela Sneed, Paul Soileau, Tommy Turner, and Marguerite Van Cook.
The band Rimbaud Hattie—comprised of David former 3 Teens Kill 4 bandmates Doug Bressler and Julie Hair, along with John Kelly—accompanied the readings.
The Memorial also unveiled a park bench dedicated to Wojnarowicz to memorialize his championing of the fight against HIV/AIDS. Following the performances, a candlelit procession moved from the New York City AIDS Memorial to the LGBTQ Memorial in Hudson River Park, symbolically ushering Wojnarowicz’s spirit in communal recognition and celebration.
