Noah talks to curator Robin K Williams about the exhibition Daniel Johnston: I Live My Broken Dreams, organized by The Contemporary Austin, Daniel Johnston: I Live My Broken Dreams is the first-ever museum survey of works by the visionary musician and visual artist Daniel Johnston (1961 – 2019). Best known for his music, Johnston was also an accomplished artist who exhibited his comic-inspired drawings during his lifetime. Yet, apart from his iconic “Hi, How Are You?” mural, painted in Austin in 1993, his abundant visual art remains little-known to most audiences. This exhibition will provide a rich presentation of Johnston’s work across disciplines, enabling visitors to explore the intricate connections between his prolific corpus of music and visual art. In addition to a selection of Johnston’s drawings and paintings, the presentation will include the artist’s home-recorded music and movies, as well as documentary footage of him rehearsing and performing.
This exhibition is conceived by Heather Pesanti and Robin K. Williams and organized by Robin K. Williams in close collaboration with The Daniel Johnston Trust. The Daniel Johnston Trust is Dick Johnston, Executor; Lee Foster, Curatorial Advisor; and Donny Veloz, Administrative Manager.