THE ART WORLD: Rub Out The Word by William S. Burroughs

William S. Burroughs. Courtesy of Stellan Holm Gallery.

Stellan Holm Gallery
524 W. 24th St.
New York, NY 10011

The cult of personality that still clings to the early counter-culture provocateurs of the 1950s is in full swing at Stellan Holm Gallery, showing the late paintings, shotgun blasts, sketches and ephemera of junkie-beat-novelist hero William S. Burroughs.

There are some works of abstract beauty on display, especially in a few of the dark canvasses and textual paintings, and like everything else that Burroughs touched in the latter part of his life, it’s all swaddled in a blanket of cool.

Of all the pieces, the shotgun paintings–effectively large blocks of wood shot with a 12-gauge–evoke most fully the sense of gallows humor that pervades much of Burroughs’ written work, and they serve as a fitting homage to the mystique that helped to make him an anti-hero to generations.

Rub Out The Word by William S. Burroughs is showing at Stellan Holm Gallery until March 29th.

–Jonathan Shieber

The Daily Shortlist March 13

Location: East Village, NYC
Event: Dean Wareham Reading
Venue: Club Midway
Food: China 1
Drink: Hi Fi
Miscellaneous: Second on Second Karaoke Bar & Lounge

You may know Dean Wareham from his bands Galaxie 500, Luna, and Dean & Britta, but he’s also a writer. Check him out at Club Midway as he reads from his memoir, Black Postcards, A Rock & Roll Romance. Part restaurant and part club, China 1 serves up more upscale Chinese food than you’re used to. With décor that’s more dungeon lounge than China, this is a fun place to hang. With an MP3 jukebox that has 3000 albums to choose from, nicknamed “El DJ,” Hi Fi is a rock lover’s wet dream. With daily drink specials, this place is cheap, and that’s a rare thing in NYC these days. If you’re still in the mood to party after this early reading, hit up Second on Second for some karaoke, where you can sing till your throat is sore!