David Byrne did a series of line drawings, "dingbats," earlier in the pandemic, that were exhibited in a virtual show at NYC's Pace Gallery in 2020. An in-person exhibition of that series, "How I Learned About Non-Rational Logic," will open soon at the gallery, too. It runs from February 2-March 19 at 540 West 25th Street, with an opening reception on February 1.
A press release reads:
This presentation follows Byrne’s 2020 exhibition with Pace—an online showing of 50 dingbats drawings produced during quarantine—and it marks the artist’s eighth collaboration with the gallery since 2003. Works in his dingbats series grapple with the attendant boredom, anxiety, and loneliness of quarantine as well as the inequities and injustices highlighted by the pandemic. The dingbats are Byrne’s response to these conditions—an imaginative way of expressing hope, desire for connection, and the power of community.
Here's a couple of the dingbats:
David Byrne Dingbatsimages courtesy of David Byrne & Pace Gallery
The New York Times reports that Pace will present a conversation with Byrne and John Wilson on February 7, too, as part of their Pace Live series.
There's also a book of the drawings, A History of the World (in Dingbats), on the way, due out March 9 via Phaidon. It's 160 pages long, featuring 115 illustrations, and available for pre-order now. Here's what it looks like:
David Byrne A History of the World
Meanwhile, Byrne keeping busy with the Broadway run of American Utopia, as well.