POWER OF RANDOMNESS
July – August, 2025
The concept of chance andĀ indeterminacy has become a core element of John Cageās work; he popularized the idea that music can be found in all parts of life, including silence. In Mesostics, Cage removed his personal preferences and intentions from the compositional process, allowing for surprising textual arrangements; the work can be read horizontally or vertically. The element of chance in Cageās work is valued for its ability to push art in new directions. It brings unpredictability that some see as a form of freedom, encouraging the mind to discover hidden meanings.
BIO:
John Cage
Mesostics: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, 1985
Monotype with collage on Gray Rives Paper;
geometric elements imprinted with tire treads, scorch marks, smoke stains, spilled ink, tea bag, superimposed on one another, and one printed element
Unique
44.01 x 29.72 inches, Vertical, unframed
Signed, dated, and inscribed
John Cage
Mesostics: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, 1985
Monotype with collage on Gray Rives Paper;
geometric elements imprinted with tire treads, scorch marks, smoke stains, spilled ink, tea bag, superimposed on one another, and one printed element
Unique
29.72 x 44.01 inches, Horizontal, unframed
Signed, dated, and inscribed
The images consist of wood blocks photographed by the artist using a 12-gauge shotgun in February 1991 at Fred Aldrich and Napit Atkinson’s farm near Lawrence, Kansas. William S. Burroughs created the paintings on Mylar in March and June 1991 in his studio in Lawrence. He employed theĀ cut-up techniqueĀ to introduce randomness to his writing, which involved taking existing texts, cutting them into fragments (words, phrases, or sentences), and rearranging them at random to form new compositions. Burroughs also developed a related method called theĀ fold-in, which involved folding two texts vertically and reading across the resulting pages. Burroughs claims that one cannot will spontaneity, but one can introduce unpredictable spontaneity.
William S. Burroughs
Anger from The Seven Deadly Sins, 1991
Woodcut and screen print
Edition of 90, 10 APs
45.25 x 31 inches, image, unframed
45.25 x 31 inches, text, unframed
Signed, dated, and inscribed
William S. Burroughs
Anger from The Seven Deadly Sins, 1991
Woodcut and screen print
Edition of 90, 10 APs
45.25 x 31 inches, image, unframed
45.25 x 31 inches, text, unframed
Signed, dated, and inscribed
Mario Merz, a key figure in theĀ Arte PoveraĀ movement, deeply integrated number theory into his artwork, with a particular focus on theĀ Fibonacci sequence. Merz used number theory as a fundamental tool to explain the core processes of growth, connection, and interaction between natural and human-made environments in his art. The Fibonacci sequence itself isn’t inherently random; its mathematical properties and variations allow it to generate sequences with desirable random-like qualities, which contain coincidences that reveal various connections, serving as a gateway to limitless creativity and being essential to scientific exploration.
Mario Merz
IT IS TO HAVE A SPACE WITH TABLE FOR NO ONE, 1973
Double-Sided Drawing;
Tables from the drawing of Mario Merz expressed the āFibonacciā in a series of low modular
Unique
26 x 37.5 inches, unframed
Signed, dated, and inscribed
Mario Merz
IT IS TO HAVE A SPACE WITH TABLE FOR NO ONE, 1973
Double-Sided Drawing;
Tables from the drawing of Mario Merz expressed the āFibonacciā in a series of low modular
Unique
37.5 x 26 inches, unframed
Signed, dated, and inscribed
Adam Simon reviews Sharon Butlerās “Next Moves” in the October 2022 issue of The Brooklyn Rail
Jaye Moon is included in the New York Foundation for the Arts exhibition
Janet Taylor Pickett is included in Century: 100 Years of Black Art at MAM
