Edited by James Hoff. Introduction by Thomas (T.) Jean Lax. Text by Glenn Ligon.
An expansive volume featuring over two decades of incisive reflections on race, art and pop culture by one of the greatest artists working today
This long-awaited and essential volume collects writings and interviews by Glenn Ligon, whose canonical paintings, neons and installations have been delivering a cutting examination of race, history, sexuality and culture in America since his emergence in the late 1980s. No stranger to text, the artist has routinely utilized writings from James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Pryor, Gertrude Stein and others to construct work that centers Blackness within the historically white backdrop of the art world and culture writ large. Ligon began writing in the early 2000s, engaging deeply with the work of peers such as Julie Mehretu, Chris Ofili and Lorna Simpson, as well as with artists who came before him, among them Philip Guston, David Hammons and Andy Warhol. Interweaving a singular voice and a magical knack for storytelling with an astute view of art history and broader cultural shifts, this collection cements Ligon’s status as one of the great chroniclers of our time. Glenn Ligon was born in the Bronx in 1960. He began as an abstract painter but shifted to text-based works which often incorporate quotes from Black authors. His work can be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Glenn Ligon, "Debris Field (Red) #17," 2020–21. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Wayne Koestenbaum
Glenn Ligon is among the great artists of our time or any time. Words are among the materials he knows how to wield with irony, wit, multivalence, and directness. In this brilliant collection of his essays and interviews, Ligon’s polyphony speaks out with a resonance sharpened by acuity and hilarity, and with an intellectual luminousness that continues to determine how I see the world.
Saidiya Hartman
What a delight—to read the artwork in the world through Glenn Ligon’s brilliant, incisive eye.
Thomas (T.) Jean Lax
Ligon gives us much feeling with few words. What else is there to do when you read him but exclaim ‘Boop!’ or audibly exhale?
The Brooklyn Rail
Erica N. Cardwell
'Distinguishing Piss from Rain,' an impressive collection of new and previously published nonfiction writings and interviews by artist Glenn Ligon, delivers the authorial brilliance for which the artist is known.
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Wednesday, October 16 at 6:30 PM, 192 Books presents artist and Distinguishing Piss from Rain author Glenn Ligon in conversation with the book’s editor, James Hoff, for a discussion about Ligon’s new collection of writings and interviews, published by Hauser & Wirth Publishers. Seating is limited so please RSVP here, or stream the conversation directly on PCG Studio (no login required). A recording will be archived. Books will be available for sale after the conversation.
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Tuesday, October 1, from 7–8:30 PM, Cooper Union and Hauser & Wirth Publishers present the launch of Glenn Ligon: Distinguishing Piss from Rain, Writings and Interviews. Join an exciting conversation with artist and author Glenn Ligon, writer Dr. Kellie Jones and artist Julie Mehretu, along with readings from the book by legendary performer Helga Davis, at Cooper Union's historic Great Hall. This event is free; however, reservations are required. Click here to register. continue to blog
It's a thrill to finally have our own copies of Distinguishing Piss from Rain, Hauser & Wirth Publishers' whopping 400-page collection of interviews and writings on art, history, race, sexuality and popular culture by the noted American artist Glenn Ligon. Weighing in at 400 pages, with 80 color and 20 black-and-white reproductions, this beautifully produced volume is edited by Primary Information publisher James Hoff with Introduction by MoMA curator Thomas (T.) Jean Lax. “Reading these essays when they were first published gave me a pathway through the art world as a younger curator,” Lax writes. “Reading them anew, I sometimes had the feeling of being told a story I had heard before but whose meaning I hadn’t fully understood the first or second time around. It was as if their full significance was still emerging, not unlike the way you know the unmistakable feeling of true love the first time you feel it, but nevertheless must practice receiving it, repeatedly over time. Love is a subtext and refrain in this volume. At least twice, Ligon invokes a phrase from bell hooks: ‘Love will take you places you might not ordinarily go.’ De Kooning’s ‘Flesh [is] the reason . . . oil paint was invented’ is also reprised across the writings. Who knew hooks and de Kooning had so much in common?” continue to blog
FORMAT: Pbk, 6.5 x 9.5 in. / 400 pgs / 80 color / 20 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $38.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $54 ISBN: 9783906915883 PUBLISHER: Hauser & Wirth Publishers AVAILABLE: 8/13/2024 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA LA ASIA AU/NZ AFR ME
Glenn Ligon: Distinguishing Piss from Rain Writings and Interviews
Published by Hauser & Wirth Publishers. Edited by James Hoff. Introduction by Thomas (T.) Jean Lax. Text by Glenn Ligon.
An expansive volume featuring over two decades of incisive reflections on race, art and pop culture by one of the greatest artists working today
This long-awaited and essential volume collects writings and interviews by Glenn Ligon, whose canonical paintings, neons and installations have been delivering a cutting examination of race, history, sexuality and culture in America since his emergence in the late 1980s. No stranger to text, the artist has routinely utilized writings from James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Pryor, Gertrude Stein and others to construct work that centers Blackness within the historically white backdrop of the art world and culture writ large. Ligon began writing in the early 2000s, engaging deeply with the work of peers such as Julie Mehretu, Chris Ofili and Lorna Simpson, as well as with artists who came before him, among them Philip Guston, David Hammons and Andy Warhol. Interweaving a singular voice and a magical knack for storytelling with an astute view of art history and broader cultural shifts, this collection cements Ligon’s status as one of the great chroniclers of our time.
Glenn Ligon was born in the Bronx in 1960. He began as an abstract painter but shifted to text-based works which often incorporate quotes from Black authors. His work can be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
