In Sonny Boy Chronicles, Allen based the central character on his cousin, a war veteran and merchant marine “with multiple wives and multiple problems.” Sonny Boy lives isolated in a trailer set amongst the immense nothingness of a flat desert landscape, an environment which, while landlocked, most closely parallels the vast emptiness of the open sea. Allen originally developed Sonny Boy as an additional character meant to intersect with Atonin Artaud in Ghost Ship Rodez – a series that included a theater work, radio play, multimedia installations, and works on paper – but was later removed from the final production. This is the first time this series has been exhibited.

Various works from Sonny Boy Chronicles, Mean Sequence, 1998
mixed media on paper
11 x 8 ½ in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm) or 14 x 10 ⅝ in. (35.6 x 27 cm)

45 N Venice Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291

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