Queer Networks: Ray Johnson's Correspondence Art

Queer Networks analyzes how Ray Johnson's mail art practice disrupted art world conventions and anticipated today's highly networked culture. Utilizing the postal service as his primary means of producing and circulating art, Johnson cultivated an international community of friends and collaborators, advancing his idiosyncratic body of work. Miriam Kienle explores how Johnson's radical correspondence art established new modes of connectivity that fostered queer sensibilities and ran counter to the conventional methods by which artists were expected to develop their reputation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 08 January 2024
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Ray Johnson, a prominent figure in the art world, was a queer artist who challenged conventions and anticipated today's highly networked culture. Initially known as "New York's most famous unknown artist," Johnson's mail art practice reflected the evolving social dynamics and political landscape of queer communities in the 1960s. Queer Networks, a significant contribution to the growing scholarship on Johnson, delves into how his practice aimed to subvert the dominant structures of the art market and gallery system, favoring unconventional social connections.

Johnson's artistic approach centered around the postal service, using it as his primary medium for producing and circulating art. Through his network of friends and collaborators, he expanded his unique body of work, fostering queer sensibilities and challenging traditional methods of artist reputation development. Miriam Kienle's book explores how Johnson's radical correspondence art established new modes of connectivity that fostered queer perspectives and departed from the conventional approaches artists were expected to take.

Johnson's mail art practice was characterized by its unconventional and experimental nature. He used the postal system to create intricate collages, sculptures, and installations that were often sent through the mail to unsuspecting recipients. These works were often provocative and subversive, challenging the norms and expectations of the art world. Johnson's use of the postal service also facilitated the formation of international communities of friends and collaborators, allowing him to share his art with a broader audience.

Queer Networks provides valuable insights into Johnson's life and work, shedding light on his contributions to the queer art movement and his impact on contemporary art. It explores the ways in which Johnson's practice challenged traditional art hierarchies and fostered new modes of connectivity and collaboration. Through its analysis of Johnson's use of queer theory and network studies, the book offers a fresh perspective on the artist's legacy and his relevance to contemporary art practices.

In conclusion, Ray Johnson's queer correspondence art disrupted art world conventions and anticipated today's highly networked culture. Through his use of the postal service and his cultivation of international communities of friends and collaborators, Johnson advanced his idiosyncratic body of work, fostering queer sensibilities and challenging conventional methods of artist reputation development. Queer Networks provides a valuable contribution to the growing scholarship on Johnson, offering insights into his life and work and his impact on contemporary art practices.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 178 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517911638