Jonathan Borofsky is an artist who challenged conventional notions of presentation and in his early ventures by displaying his work much like an installation. In describing the nature of his first show at the Paula Cooper Gallery, Borofsky explained “it was very personal and like my studio, paintings, sculptures, and drawings were all thrown in together” (Friedman). Borofsky’s installations gave artists the freedom to activate the previously static space of the gallery. He wanted to use his work to transform the gallery into an altered space. Borofsky explained his installation, saying “I would just overload the room so when people walked in they were taken by the whole space first and not by ‘Oh that’s a nice painting, how much do you think that one costs?’ It wasn’t about the singular object, but more about the totality of the whole made up of these parts” (Friedman). In order to account for the seeming randomness of the show, Borofsky felt it necessary to tie it all together by including a counting system, where each piece is catalogued with a number. I do not see a need to create an ordering system within my display because I think that the differing works serve to illuminate and work off each other and create a more complex space.

The space I have created within the gallery is unlike any space that I have dealt with in the past. It is somewhere in between the worlds of installation, site specific work, and retrospective exhibition. I think of this show as a way for me to step outside of myself and really investigate where I’m at and where to go next. The experience of putting this senior show together has made me feel the pressure of displaying myself and my progress as an artist. This process has forced me to consider what is most important to my own ethics as an artist. The way I have chosen to present my work represents both the defensiveness of having to put myself on display, and the pleasure in dominating a space and in being seen. I have realized that even when I am not aware of it, I am always attempting to rebel against conformity. Through the creation of this fantastic space, I hope to allow for endless possibilities of interpretation, interaction, and wide-eyed wonderment.

Works Cited
Banerjee, Rina. Antenna. New York: Bose Pacia Modern, 2000.
Chambers, Marlene. Lucas Samaras: Objects and Subjects 1969-1986. New York: Abbeville Press, 1988.
Friedman, Terri. “Interview with Jonathan Borofsky.” Zingmagazine Issue #4 (2002). March 2002<http:zingmagazine.com/zing4/friedman/friedman02.html>.
Stiles, Kristine, and Peter Selz, eds. Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artist’s Writings. Berkley: University of California Press, 1996. 600-603.

Annotated Bibliography
Calloway, Stephen. Baroque: The Culture of Excess. London: Phaidon, 1994. Interesting look at the many ways in which the Baroque style has lived on throughout the years. Explores baroque influence in architecture, fashion, and all manners of visual media.
Chambers, Marlene. Lucas Samaras: Objects and Subjects 1969-1986. New York: Abbeville Press,
1988. Catalog that accompanied an extensive retrospective of Samaras’ forays into all manners of visual media. Most useful to my research is an essay by Thomas McEvilley exploring the various themes which carry through all of the artist’s work. He focuses on the way Samaras’ pieces contain an interesting balance of both alluring and threatening elements. Other themes of particular interest were the apparent narcissism of the work and his use/transformation of everyday materials.
Doyle, Jennifer, Jonathan Flatley, eds. Pop Out: Queer Warhol. Durham: Duke University Press, 1996.
Grauerholz, James, and Ira Silverberg, eds. Word Virus: The William Burroughs Reader. New
York: Grove Press, 1998. A thorough collection of excerpts from just about everything the author has ever written with accompanying essays that follow the life of the author and the influential stages of his work.
LaChapelle, David. Hotel LaChapelle. Boston: Bulfinch Press, 1999. This is a book of photographs of a popular celebrity/fashion photographer. His work deals with ideas of heightened reality and capturing moments of elation. There is an essay by the artist in which he describes the process of his work, how he creates the world he wants to see. He also touches on the important aspect of originality.
Taylor, Joshua. Robert Rauschenberg. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1977. Exhibition catalog with some great essays discussing the progression of his works, discussion of his processes and placing him within a larger context.
Tomkins, Calvin. Off the Wall: Robert Rauschenberg and the Art World of Our Time. New York: Penguin Books, 1980. This book follows the life and progress of Rauschenberg by viewing him in the context of the art movements that were happening as he worked. This book is particularly helpful for me in understanding the artist’s working in response to the Abstract Expressionist movement which was reaching full popularity as Rauschenberg was starting his career.
Woolf, Virginia. Orlando. San Diego: Harcourt, 1928. A fictional work through which the author investigates the passage of time and how it can be perceived and warped by the human mind. Also, I am interested in how the author interjects herself and her opinions into the story as the narrator.

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