As he wandered the Downtown NYC with his ever present camera, filmmaker, poet, writer Jonas Mekas was always seeking pockets of beauty and hidden art amidst the hustle of New York. To his friends and admirers, Jonas was an always a source of solace in times of sadness and uncertainty. Today, in the midst of our pandemic, New York is suffering and we are all searching for a path forward. What would Jonas think?

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“To Jonas with Love” will feature an eclectic mix of artists, musicians, and filmmakers who will present work that was either inspired by or captures the spirit of Jonas’ tireless enthusiasm for creativity and poetic expression. The exhibition will include a traditional gallery installation at the new Ki Smith Gallery (197 East 4 th Street) as well as a “Covid-friendly” film/video installation with projections and monitors at the Gallery’s Annex/pop-up (181 Mott Street). A limited edition Exhibition Zine/Catalog/Book including the art works as well as personal written material by the artists and others will also be published. With this show, we welcome Jonas’ spirit back to the downtown NYC he loved and back to a world in desperate need of the beauty and wonder he believed in with all his heart.

 

For over 60 years, Lithuanian filmmaker/poet/artist Jonas Mekas was a cultural icon of “downtown” NYC. From his earliest days living on Orchard Street in the 1950’s until his death in 2019, Jonas was an untiring champion of the New York “Underground” and the artistic freedom and eclecticism that has always defined the East Village art scene. Along the way, he founded “Film Culture” magazine, the Filmmakers Co-op and Cinematheque, The Anthology Film Archives, and was a frequent contributor to the Village Voice.