Jonathan Borofsky Subway Dream Monumental 77” Signed Screenprint Edition of 11 with Custom Lamp

Artist: Jonathan Borofsky
Title: Subway Dream
Medium: Screenprint on Paper (includes an incandescent lamp element with programmed electronic dimmer)
Year: 1983
Image Size: 76.75" x 63.5"
Frame Size: 86" x 71.5" x 2"
Edition: 6/11
Publisher: Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles
Printer: Ron McPherson
Inscription: Signed, numbered and inscribed to lower edge '6/11 Borofsky 2822512'
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Literature: Gemini 1101

Jonathan Borofsky's "Subway Dream" (1983) exemplifies the artist's sustained exploration of text, identity, and the psychological terrain of contemporary urban life. Rendered at an imposing, near-architectural scale, the screenprint envelops the viewer with a handwritten narrative recounting a dream encounter in a subway station. The sweeping field of script—intimate in gesture yet monumental in proportion—transforms private reflection into a public, immersive experience. The viewer does not merely read the text; one stands before it, physically implicated in its confessional cadence.

Above the framed screenprint, Borofsky integrates a custom incandescent lamp element controlled by a programmed electronic dimmer. This unique component introduces a temporal dimension to the work, subtly modulating light across the surface and activating the printed imagery. The illumination functions both literally and metaphorically, heightening the psychological intensity of the dream narrative while emphasizing Borofsky's interest in perception, consciousness, and the interplay between mechanical systems and human thought.

Produced in a small edition of eleven by the renowned Gemini G.E.L. workshop in Los Angeles, "Subway Dream" reflects Borofsky's engagement with collaborative printmaking at a moment when he was expanding his conceptual vocabulary into large-scale, technologically integrated works. This work has an unbroken record of provenance available by request. The combination of monumental scale, diaristic text, and electronic light element positions the piece at the intersection of drawing, installation, and kinetic art, underscoring Borofsky's investigation into how personal narrative can occupy—and transform—physical space.

Executed in 1983 as a screenprint with a custom incandescent lamp element and programmed electronic dimmer, "Subway Dream" is presented at an immersive scale, measuring 76 3/4 × 63 1/2 inches (image) and 86 × 71 1/2 × 2 inches framed. This example is number 6 from the edition of 11, printed by Ron McPherson and published by Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles. It is signed, numbered, and inscribed along the lower edge, "6/11 Borofsky 2822512". The work is documented in the Gemini G.E.L. catalogue raisonne as Gemini 1101 and is accompanied by a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity.

About Jonathan Borofsky

Jonathan Borofsky (born December 24, 1942, Boston, MA) is an American artist renowned for large-scale public sculptures, conceptual installations, drawings, and multimedia works exploring human connection, labor, individuality, and collective consciousness. Over five decades, he has gained international acclaim for iconic monumental sculptures in cities worldwide.
He earned a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University (1964) and an MFA from Yale School of Art and Architecture (1966). Early on, he aligned with Conceptual Art and Post-Minimalism, creating works blending numerical systems, autobiography, and philosophy. His ongoing Counting project (late 1960s onward) features sequential handwritten numbers, reflecting his focus on time, order, and process.

In the 1970s–80s, Borofsky earned recognition through museum shows and immersive installations combining drawing, sculpture, text, and sound, often using simplified human figures and symbolic motifs tied to shared psychological and social experiences.
From the late 1980s, he emphasized monumental public art. His best-known series include:

- "Hammering Man": kinetic sculptures of a laboring figure, installed in Seattle, Frankfurt, Seoul, and elsewhere, symbolizing universal human work and industrial society.
- "Molecule Man": towering, perforated steel figures representing interconnectedness, with major versions in Berlin and other cities.

Other key works include "Walking to the Sky", "Human Structures", and numerous commissions for civic, corporate, and cultural sites across Europe, Asia, and the US. These highly visible urban pieces engage wide audiences.

Borofsky has exhibited globally at major museums and completed over 30 permanent public installations. His art remains influential for merging conceptual depth with accessible forms, connecting institutional and public spheres.