Grunwald shows Burroughs' art

The Grunwald Gallery of Art will open a show based on a variety of work by William S. Burroughs on Jan. 24.

A famous writer, performer and artist, Burroughs’ exhibit will run until Feb. 5.

The exhibit will display many pieces of his artwork, which he created using a variety of media including paintings, sheet metal, plywood and sketches.

“He did paintings and produced works where he took a gun and shot through the surface of the paintings,” Grunwald Gallery Director Betsy Stirratt said. “It was almost by chance — a very intuitive kind of work.”

Some of Burroughs’ pieces include work on manila folders he used to organize his writings and notes while working on his books, according to a press release.

Burroughs used the folders to mix pigments until realizing they were artwork themselves.

He painted and decorated them with glitter or fluorescent paint with text, among other techniques.

“His work is very chaotic and expressive,” Stirratt said.

The exhibit is set to display 50 of these works, according to the press release. It is part of a larger campus-wide celebration, “Burroughs Century.” It is centered on Burroughs’ 100th birthday and includes musical performances, speakers, panels and a film series at the IU Cinema.

“There was interest in him as a cultural figure,” Stirratt said. “They decided to do this celebration.”

The film series kicks off with a documentary called “Burroughs: The Movie” at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 6 and continues through Feb. 9.

Burroughs is highly regarded in his field, according to the press release.

“He’s somebody who is culturally important, and he did affect a lot of things,” Stirratt said. “Just experiencing that is important and increases students’ knowledge of different time periods.”