Wayne Koestenbaum crafts prose that delves into the mysteries of desire, opera, and the complexities of identity. His critical works explore the intricate connections between art and the self with a unique, often poetic, sensibility. Koestenbaum's distinctive voice is both incisive and lyrical, offering readers a fresh perspective on resonant themes.
This publication serves as a daybook, survey, and artist's book, compiling eight previous works by American artist Jack Pierson. It showcases his unique photographic style that evokes nostalgia and emotional depth, exploring themes of intimacy and celebrity culture. The books are reproduced in original size and chronological order.
The chromatic, linguistically playful, erotic conclusion to Wayne Koestenbaum’s acclaimed trance poem trilogy.Ultramarine distills gleanings from four years of Koestenbaum’s trance notebooks (2015-2019) into a series of tightly-sewn collage-poems, filled with desiring bodies, cultural touchstones, and salty memories. Beyond Proust’s madeleine we head toward a “deli” version of utopia, crafted from hamantaschen, cupcake, and cucumber. Interludes in Rome, Paris, and Cologne permit spells of fevered play with Italian, French, and German. Painting and its processes bring bright colors to the surface, as if the poet were trying to figure out anew the nature of blue, pink, orange. Ultramarine reaches across memory, back to Europe, beyond the literal world into dream-habitats conjured through language’s occult structures.
Wayne Koestenbaum considers the meaning of humiliation in this eloquent work of cultural critique and personal reflection. The lives of people both famous and obscure are filled with scarlet-letter moments when their dirty laundry sees daylight. In these moments we not only witness the reversibility of “success,” of prominence, but also come to visceral terms with our own vulnerable selves. We can’t stop watching the scene of shame, identifying with it and absorbing its nearness, and relishing our imagined immunity from its stain, even as we acknowledge the universal, embarrassing predicament of living in our own bodies. With an unusual, disarming blend of autobiography and cultural commentary, noted poet and critic Wayne Koestenbaum takes us through a spectrum of mortifying circumstances—in history, literature, art, current events, music, film, and his own life. His generous disclosures and brilliant observations go beyond prurience to create a poetics of abasement. Inventive, poignant, erudite, and playful, Humiliation plunges into one of the most disquieting of human experiences, with reflections at once emboldening and humane.
"A new book of essays by the cultural critic Wayne Koestenbaum, author of The Queen's Throat and Jackie Under My Skin"--
Painter, filmmaker, photographer, philosopher, all-round celebrity, Andy Warhol is an outstanding cultural icon. He revolutionised art by bringing to it images from popular culture - such as the Campbell's soup can and Marilyn Monroe's face - while his studio, the Factory, where his free-spirited cast of 'superstars' mingled with the rich and famous, became the place of origin for every groundswell shaping American culture.In many ways he can be seen as the precursor to today's 'celebrity artists' such as Tracey Emin and Damian Hurst. But what of the man behind the white wig and dark glasses?
Exploring a diverse range of topics such as art, dreams, and translation, this collection features intimate reflections and creative "assignments" that promote pleasure and attentiveness. Wayne Koestenbaum's unique perspective invites readers to engage in playful making, showcasing his extraordinary intellect and mischievous spirit.
From her media canonization at the time of JFK's death to the rash of criticism provoked by her marriage to Onassis, Jackie has always managed to elude definition and has left us the legacy of a legend. In this take on his subject, Wayne Koestenbaum interprets the cultural impact of this public figure. He considers her status as a gay icon, and compares it with those of other divas such as Maria Callas and Liz Taylor. Koestenbaum derives axioms from Jackie's wardrobe, teases home truths from her White House memoranda, and attaches symbolic significance to the chic and the tragic in Jackie's life.
This collection features a blend of whimsical and surreal narratives, showcasing Wayne Koestenbaum's unique storytelling style. The fables are characterized by their baroque language and ribald humor, while also exploring themes of heartbreak. Each story invites readers into a vibrant world where the absurd meets the poignant, offering a diverse range of emotional experiences.
The images in Bill Jacobson’s when is a place suggest risks and uncertainties. They question both the nature of perception and our existential place in the world, themes explored throughout his five decades of making photographs. Jacobson’s use of a defocused lens, bleached out skies, and an otherwise curious tonal range challenge boundaries of traditional photographic practice. Diffuse horizon lines dramatically bisect distant landscapes, the subtle curves of vague human bodies, and unknown spaces suggestive of architecture play prominent intertwining roles. Jacobson’s original large-scale prints are analog silver gelatin, printed by him in a traditional black and white darkroom. Created between 2018 and 2020, the images were made in Virginia, the south of France, upstate New York, and a studio in New York City.