The Artist as Poet: Selections from PAMM's Collection

The Artist as Poet: Selections from PAMM's Collection

Curated by André Breton

With a nod to Surrealism and its use of everyday materials, subversion of common objects, and incorporation of poetic language, this exhibition celebrates how the characteristics of the poème-objet (poem-object) are present in contemporary art. André Breton, the principle theorist of literary Surrealism, often discussed the ways in which text and object could work together, each having their own function within a work. The works in The Artist as Poet span 10 decades between 1917 and 2020 and represent how language—specifically poetry—is used in contemporary art, while shedding light on Surrealism’s influence. The exhibition includes works by Guillaume Apollinaire, André Breton, Joseph Cornell, Aimée García Marrero, Glenda León, Maria Martinez-Cañas, Gordon Matta-Clark, Shirin Neshat, Michael Richards, Purvis Young, and Tim Rollins + K.O.S. (Kids of Survival).