Untitled (Time/Money) from the Ant Series

Writer and critic Lucy Lippard draws a parallel between the works of Wojnarowicz and those of Robert Smithson, the sculptor and photographer. She notes that both artists were accomplished writers and photographers, and shared a mutual fascination with imagery related to science fiction, geological time, the industrial landscape and industrial decay. In Wojnarowicz's art there are frequent and ominous references to clocks and time, and he uses cut-up maps and money repeatedly to suggest the artificiality of geographical, social and political boundaries.

Natural subjects like insects and tornadoes are employed to suggest the biological forces of nature and mankind's present disharmony with those forces. The "Ant Series," (1988) in which plastic ants are placed on the surface of photos that are then rephotographed, plays with sexuality, art, death and religion in an almost carefree manner. It is Wojnarowicz's refusal to be silent that imbues the work with such power. His heavily documented life and the art he produced have become examples of one man's attempt to awaken social consciousness and transform the world's disdain into a powerful indictment against intolerance and apathy.
-Dan Cameron, New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York