Collage and "Oral" History
John Evans was a true New Yorker and a genuine outsider artist, primarily known for creating a collage every day from 1964 to 2000 using objects found in the East Village. His pictures are unique time capsules: puzzles, portraits, family stories, loneliness, love, war, sexuality, and images of the city's gentrification—in other words, life itself.
As one of our favorite publications, Messy Nessy Chic, wrote in an article about him, New Yorkers have a peculiar relationship with trash: lost tickets, photos, and business cards open windows into the most intimate and honest stories—and this is exactly what Evans did for 36 years. The collages composed of found objects reflected the events of his life, serving as a kind of visual diary. He was also a key member of the New York neo-Dada community. The father of mail art, Ray Johnson (whom we've written about before), introduced Evans to the international mail art "underground," where he began using the "Avenue B School of Art" stamp, referring to where he lived in the city.
Evans moved from South Dakota to New York in the 1960s, at a time when residents on Avenue B were only paying $35 for their apartments. Dana Lloyd, one of Evans' friends, said of him: he was an infinitely kind and gentle man, and his works were just as lighthearted as he was. Evans never left the city, even as it underwent significant changes; instead, he decided to reconstruct the disappearing world before his eyes using everyday details on paper. He passed away in 2012.
source and more photos
As one of our favorite publications, Messy Nessy Chic, wrote in an article about him, New Yorkers have a peculiar relationship with trash: lost tickets, photos, and business cards open windows into the most intimate and honest stories—and this is exactly what Evans did for 36 years. The collages composed of found objects reflected the events of his life, serving as a kind of visual diary. He was also a key member of the New York neo-Dada community. The father of mail art, Ray Johnson (whom we've written about before), introduced Evans to the international mail art "underground," where he began using the "Avenue B School of Art" stamp, referring to where he lived in the city.
Evans moved from South Dakota to New York in the 1960s, at a time when residents on Avenue B were only paying $35 for their apartments. Dana Lloyd, one of Evans' friends, said of him: he was an infinitely kind and gentle man, and his works were just as lighthearted as he was. Evans never left the city, even as it underwent significant changes; instead, he decided to reconstruct the disappearing world before his eyes using everyday details on paper. He passed away in 2012.
source and more photos
