David Byrne Recounts How He Learned About “Non-Rational Logic” in New Pace Exhibition
On view in New York until March 19, 2022.
Over the course of his prolific career with the Talking Heads, frontman David Byrne was simultaneously establishing a multidisciplinary practice in the world of art. Perhaps most famous of his creations was a 2005 installation, Playing the Building, in which the singer-songwriter transformed the inside of a Stockholm art venue, known as Färgfabriken, into one giant musical instrument. It’s been a while since Byrne split with the band back in 1991, but his art career has arguably become just as recognizable as his work in music.
Following an ethereal exhibition on James Turrell, Pace Gallery is showcasing a selection Byrne’s drawings over the past 20 years. The exhibition spotlights the artist’s dingbats series of drawings made during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of his tree drawings from the early 2000s, and a selection of his drawings of chairs from 2004–07.
“How I Learned About Non-Rational Logic” is the artist’s eighth show with Pace since 2003. Similar to his music, the drawings carry surreal and playful notes that allow the viewer to make interesting connections to seemingly mundane things or observations. When reflecting on his eclectic tree drawings, Byrne said that “once you establish a premise, you have to follow it. It’s a kind of dream logic.”
David Byrne’s “How I Learned About Non-Rational Logic” is currently on view at Pace’s New York outpost until March 19, 2022. To accompany the exhibition, Phaidon recently unveiled a new art book by Byrne, titled A History of the World (in Dingbats), which is available to purchase here for $39.95 USD.
Elsewhere in art, new findings show that Stonehenge may have been an ancient time-keeping system.
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