David Wojnarowicz

Tongues of Flame [signed]

Normal, IL: Illinois State University, 1992. In photo-illustrated wraps. Second printing. 10 ¼ x 8 ½ in. 127 pp. Signed and dated on front inside cover. Previous bookseller’s stamp on rear inside cover. Some edgewear, and minor abrasion to cover; overall very good. Item #6688

The landmark catalog for Wojnarowicz’s exhibition at the Illinois State University, signed and dated on the inside cover in the final months of the artist’s life. Heavily illustrated with images of Wojnarowicz’s paintings, collages, and photographs, the catalog also includes writing by Wojnarowicz, Carlo McCormick, Barry Blinderman, Curtis White, and John Carlin. Tongues of Flame opened less than three weeks after Witnesses: Against Our Vanishing closed; Wojnarowicz was concerned that his new status as a highly controversial public figure would provoke the Illinois State University administration to cancel the exhibition. Instead, the administration supported him, and the audience was thrilled. The small exhibition space was packed for the opening, set attendance records throughout its run, and the local press celebrated the work. The local Bloomington chapter of ACT UP formed during the exhibition and, as the University Galleries Director, Barry Blinderman said in an interview with Cynthia Carr, “people just went crazy over him.”.

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