Eye of the “Art Asylum”: The Downtown Photography of Gary Azon at Tompkins Square Library

A retrospective of the work of Gary Azon, “Playground of the Art Asylum,” will be on view at the Tompkins Square Library, from May 17 to July 17, 331 E. 10 St..

The award-winning Azon was a defining photo-witness to the clamorous East Village cultural scene of the 1980s-90s, On the job virtually every day and night, he aimed his camera at the larger vistas of club and gallery events, as well as the more intimate captures of individuals, mining the quirky humanity of celebrities and random scenesters alike.

Alternative clubs featured in Azon’s work included Danceteria and B-Side Gallery. Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Gracie Mansion, David Wojnarowicz, Karen Finley and Jean-Michel Basquiat were some of the many downtown luminaries caught in Azon’s lens.

As a photographer of conscience, Azon also snapped scenes of human trial on neighborhood streets, as well as the violent Tompkins Square Park confrontations of 1988.

He directed several panels on various art themes, at the BAD Museum, Anchorage and other venues.

Azon was the arts editor at Downtown Magazine for many years, supplying readers with insider news on the local culture’s people and places with a wit and depth difficult to find elsewhere.