John Cage

In the 1980s, John Cage began experimenting with watercolor, creating graphic works where natural elements took center stage—burnt papers, stone silhouettes, and edible sheets—drawing inspiration from his connection to Japan. A student of Schönberg and a close friend of Duchamp, Cage embraced experimentation and interdisciplinarity as central to his artistic vision.

Like his music, Cage’s graphic works explore themes of chance, silence, and interaction with the natural world. The New River exhibition reveals this lesser-known aspect of his practice.