JOHN GIORNO: NO NOSTALGIA
4357 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles CA 90010
Saturday, October 25 at 11:00 AM 6:00 PM
Ends Apr 25, 2026
MAF is thrilled to reopen its second floor Window Gallery on October 25, 2025 with an exhibition devoted to the late poet, artist and activist John Giorno (1936-2019). Known for taking poetry beyond the printed page into the realms of performance, sound installation and painting, Giorno stated that he was “determined to make poetry a razor blade cutting through the ego of America's karma.” MAF’s exhibition will bring together a select group of Giorno’s work ranging from early prints to his black-and-white text and rainbow paintings. Also on view will be a selection of materials from Giorno’s archive showing how he pieced together his poems, while demonstrating the public and private friendships that made him a force and an essential voice in the New York art scene since the 1960s. Giorno’s acclaimed work DIAL-A-POEM (first launched in 1969) will also be featured; visitors will have on-demand, 24-hour access to over 250 recordings of poems read by 132 poets, artists, musicians, and activists—all at one’s fingertips and the dial of a phone number. JOHN GIORNO: NO NOSTALGIA is curated by MAF Director Hanneke Skerath and writer and critic Carlos Valladares for Marciano Art Foundation in collaboration with Giorno Poetry Systems.