“Flower Power x Fire Power” – a timely and provocative show opens at the Gonzo Gallery, Aspen, this evening, contrasting and comparing, showcasing, via a variety of mediums, the relationship and dynamic between Allen and long-time, life-time, friend William Burroughs.
The title, as curator Yuri Zupancic points out, is a nod to each artist’s ethos – While organizing peaceful protests amid the counterculture movement of the 1960s, Ginsberg invented the concept of “flower power.” Burroughs, meanwhile, believed society exists in “a war universe” and, in later years, became known for his hands-on “shotgun art.”
One side of the gallery will present works exclusively by Allen. The other side will be dedicated to Burroughs.The back of the gallery will feature a “Beat Generation montage” of both artists’ works, (including a collection of rarely-seen Ginsberg photos, (shot during a 1961 spring trip with Burroughs in Tangier), rare vintage posters, and a recent portrait of Allen taken by Paul D. Miller (“D.J.Spooky”) who will partake in a panel discussion at the gallery, taking place Sunday
Allen as a mural subject – If he was effaced a while back, it’s heartening to see him back in the wall. What’s this? – Newark natives, Sarah Vaughan, Whitney Houston, Allen and Philip Roth in a mural by Layqa Nuna Yawar, “Radical Impermanance” (the phrase is Roth’s, who saw it as part of an enduring American tradition)
Beat movies – Monica Reid reviews five of them – On The Road, Big Sur, Kill Your Darlings Howl and Heart Beat for Far Out Magazine
July 17, today – “The Day Lady Died” (the day John Coltrane died too, some eight years later)