Matignon, Paris
Group Exhibition
Merci! John Giorno
Almine RechJulie Béna, William S. Burroughs, David Douard, Verne Dawson, Judith Eisler, John Giorno, Tarek Lakhrissi, Mélanie Matranga, Clément Rodzielski, Ugo Rondinone, Billy Sullivan, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. Almine Rech Paris and Giorno Poetry Systems present Merci! John Giorno, a group show celebrating the work of John Giorno (1936 - 2019) and the ten-year anniversary of the Palais de Tokyo's landmark 2015 exhibition 'Ugo Rondinone: I ♥ John Giorno.' To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Palais de Tokyo exhibition 'Ugo Rondinone: I ♥ John Giorno,' Almine Rech and Giorno Poetry Systems present an exhibition of works by, for, and inspired by John Giorno in two galleries in Paris, as well as a range of collaborations in museums in the city and the region throughout 2025. A portion of the funds from the sale of artworks benefits Giorno Poetry Systems, the New York-based nonprofit organization Giorno founded in 1965 and that still operates today. The two-part exhibition, titled 'Merci! John Giorno', explores John Giorno's life and work and his role as a community builder and artistic influence on other artists, poets, and musicians across time and space. This exhibition features works by Giorno, as well as works by artists in his artistic and social circles, such as Ugo Rondinone, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Judith Eisler, Billy Sullivan, William S. Burroughs, and Verne Dawson. In addition, it includes the work of contemporary French artists who were inspired and influenced by the iconic 2015 exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo. Contributing artists include Julie Bena, Tarek Lakhrissi, Clement Rodzielski, David Douard, and Melanie Matranga. A graphic identity for the exhibition is conceived by Scott King, who also designed the identity for 'Ugo Rondinone: I ♥ John Giorno' in 2015. In addition to the two gallery exhibitions, this 10th anniversary celebration includes a series of collaborations throughout the city and the region that point to the expansive reach of Giorno's work to bring together poetry, art, activism, and music. At the Palais de Tokyo, a spectacular site-specific installation brings Giorno's unique visual vocabulary back to where it had filled the entire museum ten years prior: a display of Giorno's Welcoming the Flowers prints, in an arrangement conceived by Ugo Rondinone, is presented on the Palais' large windows. In collaboration with the Centre Georges Pompidou, Giorno's iconic interactive work Dial-A-Poem is represented with Dial-A-Poem France (+33 9 87 67 54 92), where a French phone number provides access to a selection of recordings by 31 poets and artists reading in French, echoing Giorno's concerns as a queer artist and activist. The phone number is displayed as a large graphic that welcomes visitors to the Tripostal, in Lille, in the context of Fiesta, the 7th major edition of lille3000, and the exhibition 'Pom pom Pidou', featuring works from the Pompidou's collection curated by Jeanne Brun and Jean-Max Colard. Occupying the entirety of the Palais de Tokyo, 'Ugo Rondinone: I ♥ John Giorno' was the first retrospective of the life and work of John Giorno, a key figure of the American underground scene from the 1960s until his passing in 2019. The late artist's husband and frequent collaborator, the Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, conceived the exhibition as a work in its own right and combined poetry, visual art, music, and performance. The 'I' of the exhibition's title refers to a collective 'I,' as Rondinone invites each of us to share and feel the spiritual and political commitment of an iconic figure of American counterculture. Structured in eight chapters, it celebrates each aspect of Giorno's unique artistic and multi-layered language, including site-specific installations of Giorno's works and portrayals by other artists, among others. Giorno considers poems as forms of expression that can live within different contexts using different technologies and formats. This multi-disciplinary approach radically democratizes the creative act and places Giorno's work within a rich and diverse range of communities and histories. As a result, his work inspires new ways to think about how art, poetry, performance, music, spirituality, and activism can become productively entangled and cross-fertilized. Ten years after his landmark exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, and five years after his passing, 'Merci! John Giorno' celebrates the lasting impact his work has had on others. —Anthony Huberman, Artistic Director of GPS (Giorno Poetry Systems) The group show features works by Julie Bena, William S. Burroughs, David Douard, Verne Dawson, Judith Eisler, John Giorno, Tarek Lakhrissi, Melanie Matranga, Clement Rodzielski, Ugo Rondinone, Billy Sullivan, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. Almine Rech and Giorno Poetry Systems would like to extend their thanks to Sylvia Kouvali, Casey Kaplan, Galerie Allen, and Galerie Chantal Crousel for their generous contributions to this exhibition.