*Jimmy DeSana: Submission* was the first museum survey of the late photographer, bringing together nearly two hundred works that traced his brief but influential career across suburban Georgia, New York’s punk and No Wave scenes, and the broader networks of queer and experimental art in the 1970s and ’80s. DeSana’s images—ranging from early mail-art exchanges to faceless nudes staged in suburban interiors—pushed against the conventions of the American Dream and the limits placed on queer expression. The exhibition foregrounded his involvement with zines, collectives, and alternative publishing, and included rarely seen portraits of artists and musicians such as Kathy Acker, Laurie Anderson, Patti Astor, Debbie Harry, and Richard Hell. Later, more abstract works made after his HIV diagnosis revealed an artist resisting dominant narratives around the body and sexuality during the early years of the AIDS crisis.
Year: 2022
Clients: Brooklyn Museum
Category: Exhibition, Identity