Jimmy DeSana (estate of) Paul P. Ruins of Rooms
06.07.24 – 20.10.24 KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany
Ruins of Rooms looks at the notion of portraiture through the lens of Jimmy DeSana (1949–1990, US) and Paul P. (1977, CA). With their works set in a range of different interiors, the artists are brought into dialogue for the first time. Jimmy DeSana was a photographer whose portfolio spans works from the late 1960s until 1990 when he died of an AIDS-related illness. Growing up queer in postwar suburban Atlanta informed his early black-and-white series 101 Nudes (1972/1991), for which he …

Installation views, All photos: Frank Sperling










Paul P., Prisms (tabouret and paravent), 2016 and Jimmy DeSana, Softball, 1985-86

Paul P., Terminal Figure, 2019 (front) and Jimmy DeSana, Ladder, 1980

Paul P., Untitled, 2013 (front) and Paul P., Untitled, 2023 (back)

Paul P., Untitled (console), 2020(front) and Paul P., Untitled, 2021. Courtesy Jonathan W Anderson © the artist (back)

Paul P., Untitled, 2023. Courtesy collection Pavan Segal and Tracy Parker © the artist (left) and Jimmy DeSana, Chocolate Syrup, 1985

Paul P., Untitled, 2022 (left), Jimmy DeSana, Pink Furniture, 1981 (centre) and Jimmy DeSana, Suburban, ca. 1985 (right)

and Paul P., Untitled, 2020. Courtesy collection Joshua I. Silver, London © the artist (back, right)

Works by Paul P.: Courtesy the artist; Maureen Paley, London; Greene Naftali, New York; Cooper Cole, Toronto; and Massimo Minini, Brescia © the artist
Works by Jimmy DeSana: Courtesy Jimmy DeSana Trust; P.P.O.W, New York; Meyer Riegger, Berlin/Karlsruhe/Basel; and Amanda Wilkinson Gallery, London © Jimmy DeSana Trust