The first exhibition at a Spanish institution dedicated to Dorothy Iannone (Boston, 1933–Berlin, 2022), curated by Tania Pardo, is accompanied by a publication designed by Clara Sancho that offers a deeper insight into Iannone’s creative universe. It brings together texts by Tania Pardo, Joanna Zielińska and John Giorno, as well as a conversation between Hans Ulrich Obrist and the artist, drawn from three encounters held in 2006, 2008 and 2018.
Dorothy Iannone was a pioneer in placing the expression of female desire at the heart of her work and in addressing subjects that repeatedly brought her into conflict with censorship. Iannone worked across a wide range of media, including painting, drawing, collage, video, sculpture and artists’ books, while also making extensive use of the voice in sound recordings and audioboxes. Saturated with text and colour, her works speak openly of love, eroticism and sexuality, drawing on her own life.
In 1977, her friend Robert Filliou described her as an artist who investigates the world of love and loving-styles by blending imagery and text, beauty and truth. “She is a freedom fighter, and a forceful and dedicated artist. Her aim is no less than human liberation.”