Research Archive

A few days before the start of National Park Week and the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd, a major volcanic eruption in Iceland occurred. Whether it’s Mother Nature as in this case or man-made induced, these disruptions to our daily life create a moment to pause and contemplate the possible catastrophic impact on civilization and future generations. Read the rest of this entry »

John Fekner Exhibition Statement

Following statement was written on the occasion of the first solo exhibition at Hundred Acres Gallery, Soho NY October 1974 Read the rest of this entry »

How It Began

In 1968, Fekner enters the undergraduate Fine Arts program at New York Institute of Technology. He studies with a number of artists who are associated with 55 Mercer co-opt that opens in 1969. Fekner becomes an assistant to Martin Bressler, a teacher and artist who has a studio on the Bowery. Fekner is attracted to the raw loft spaces and cast-iron architecture of Soho, as well as the rebellious work of the artists involved with 112 Green Street, which has a significant impact on his subsequent move to outdoor work. Read the rest of this entry »

90 construction site poles painted fluorescent orange
United States Pavilion demolition area
1964/1965 New York World’s Fair
Flushing Meadow-Corona Park, Queens, NY

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Fekner visits Fashion Moda in 1979 which leads to his installation of NO TV/READ which is simultaneously shown at P. S. 1 and Galerie S:t Petri -Archive of Experimental and Marginal Art in Lund, Sweden. In the window of Fashion Moda, Fekner creates an installation with a TV set, a stenciled logo and a statement in both English and Spanish in February 1980. Read the rest of this entry »

“As a painter, act as the eye of the community, for the community.”

“In the 70s, I made a conscious choice of changing the formal aesthetics I was taught in art school. No longer interested in working within the spatial restrictions of a white canvas, I embraced the outdoors, reducing the value of an art object to that of a shared visual experience for the general public. At the same time, the formal ‘blankness’ of a typical gallery, devoid of any distinctive character, no longer held interest for me.”

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In the summer of 1985 without a studio to work in, John Fekner turned a Sunday painter using his car as a traveling studio and setup shop at a few of his favorite locations alongside a highway in Queens and a parkway in the Bronx. Fekner said it was the best place to work outside without being disturbed; no phone calls, only the birds and the whizzing of cars and trucks. A favorite spot was under the Long Island Expressway at the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway exit where he previously spray painted Trees, Toxic, and RUA Vidiot?

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Fekner’s stencil Wheels Over Indian Trails greeted motorists and international travelers arriving in New York City at the Pulaski Bridge Queens Midtown Tunnel from 1979-1990. The message remained untouched for eleven years, until Earth Day 1990, when Mr. Fekner, feeling the piece had run its course, painted over it.

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Robert C. Morgan, Domus Magazine, Italy

This is John Fekner’s second record album. His first was produced two years ago by the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Fekner is a visual artist as well as a musician. He is clearly associated with the East Village “Post-Graffiti” group. His word/images were shown at the Civilian Warfare Gallery in May 1984. IDIOBLAST is distributed by EXIT Art in New York.

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By John Fekner & Don Leicht

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