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JUAREZ (1969–75)
JUAREZ (1969–75)
Stat Eline (Juarez), 1969 – 1975
mixed media on paper and plexiglass
30 ¼ x 40 ½ in. (76.8 x 102.9 cm)
“I scribbled down some of the mysteries and I stopped that howling wind.”
— Terry Allen
“I scribbled down some of the mysteries and I stopped that howling wind.”
— Terry Allen
“I scribbled down some of the mysteries and I stopped that howling wind.”
— Terry Allen
In “a simple story” of epic proportions, Allen imagined the travels and travails of two couples — Jabo and Chic, Sailor and Alice — whose journeys across the American West and its southern border converged in a violent clash. This surrealist jaunt materialized in Allen’s 1975 record Juarez, considered one of the most important concept albums of all time, as well as a complement of phantasmagorical works on paper (1969-75) that match the tone, tenor and mystery of their musical counterpart. It was then that Allen enlightened to the possibilities of narrative-driven works. “I realized what I really wanted to do was tell stories.”
Montezuma 6 Castle (Juarez), 1969 – 1975
mixed media on paper
Framed: 24 x 19 ¼ in. (61 x 48.9 cm)
Juarez Device, 1969 – 1975
mixed media on paper and plexiglass
40 ½ x 30 ¼ in. (102.9 x 76.8 cm)
Juarez Device, 1969 – 1975
mixed media on paper and plexiglass
40 ½ x 30 ¼ in. (102.9 x 76.8 cm)
Juarez, 1975
Full Album
“JUAREZ is a haunting. Over the years,
the piece has presented itself in many manifestations: a series of drawings, texts, and constructions; stacks of notebooks with notations and sketches;
two books of writing, poems, watercolors, and photography (one published); numerous prints; a multitude of songs and recordings; a record album accompanying
a suite of lithographs and texts; a screenplay; an NPR radio show; a live one-woman musical piece with Jo Harvey Allen; a musical theater work cowritten with David Byrne (not produced); and five full-room museum installations with video and sound. JUAREZ is an ongoing project that began in the late sixties, runs to the present, and I have no doubt is still lurking in some form or another in the future. It has probably instigated and/or informed everything I’ve ever made.”
– Terry Allen
“JUAREZ is a haunting. Over the years, the piece has presented itself in many manifestations: a series of drawings, texts, and constructions; stacks of notebooks with notations and sketches; two books of writing, poems, watercolors, and photography (one published); numerous prints; a multitude of songs and recordings; a record album accompanying a suite of lithographs and texts; a screenplay; an NPR radio show; a live one-woman musical piece with Jo Harvey Allen; a musical theater work cowritten with David Byrne (not produced); and five full-room museum installations with video and sound. JUAREZ is an ongoing project that began in the late sixties, runs to the present, and I have no doubt is still lurking in some form or another in the future. It has probably instigated and/or informed everything I’ve ever made.”
– Terry Allen
“JUAREZ is a haunting. Over the years, the piece has presented itself in many manifestations: a series of drawings, texts, and constructions; stacks of notebooks with notations and sketches; two books of writing, poems, watercolors, and photography (one published); numerous prints; a multitude of songs and recordings; a record album accompanying a suite of lithographs and texts; a screenplay; an NPR radio show; a live one-woman musical piece with Jo Harvey Allen; a musical theater work cowritten with David Byrne (not produced); and five full-room museum installations with video and sound. JUAREZ is an ongoing project that began in the late sixties, runs to the present, and I have no doubt is still lurking in some form or another in the future. It has probably instigated and/or informed everything I’ve ever made.”
– Terry Allen
Melodyland (exterior) in the exhibition a simple story (Juarez),
Wexner Art Center, Columbus, Ohio, 1992
Melodyland (interior) in the exhibition a simple story (Juarez),
Wexner Art Center, Columbus, Ohio, 1992
45 N Venice Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
Gallery hours
Tues – Sat: 10am – 6pm
Terry Allen: The Exact Moment it Happens in the West
26 June – 28 September 2019
Terry Allen: The Exact Moment it Happens in the West 26 June – 28 September 2019
Terry Allen: The Exact Moment it Happens in the West 26 June – 28 September 2019
Terry Allen: The Exact Moment it Happens in the West 26 June – 28 September 2019
