Justin Duerr

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Justin Duerr
Philly-based artist Justin Duerr.jpg
Duerr at his 2017 solo exhibition at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
Born1976
OccupationMusician, artist, songwriter, poet
Websitehttp://www.justinduerr.com

Justin Duerr (born 1976, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American artist, musician, and writer. A fixture of both the underground punk rock and outsider art scenes in Philadelphia for decades,[1] Duerr is best known for his research into the Toynbee tile phenomenon as depicted in the 2011 documentary film Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles. His musical and artistic output includes albums with various groups and numerous artworks.[2][3]

Biography[]

The younger of two brothers, Duerr was raised in rural Adams County, Pennsylvania, in a barn partially built by his parents. His early interests included pigeon rearing and art. In 1994, he fled rebelliously to Philadelphia and became involved in the local punk squatting scene.[3]

Following his move to Philadelphia, Duerr began publishing his zine Decades of Confusion Feed the Insect, featuring his poetry, essays, and drawings.[4][5][6] He established himself as a visual artist, developing a trademark style of highly detailed black and white posters drawn with Sharpies.[7][8][9][10][11][12] He also began his long-standing interest in the unexplained Toynbee tile phenomenon at this time.[3]

Duerr's earliest Philadelphia-based musical groups included Eulogy, Aviary 3, and One Rat Brain. Beginning in 2000, he formed the punk group Northern Liberties with his brother Marc Duerr and long-time friend Kevin Riley; the group has released numerous albums and toured extensively since.[13][14] Other projects followed thereafter, including the Vivian Girls Experience with fellow artist Enid Crow, Kat Klix, and Erode and Disappear.[15][16]

Filmmaker Jon Foy began documenting Duerr's research into the Toynbee tile phenomenon in 2005.[17] The resultant feature, Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, was selected for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary category, and won the category's Directing Award.[18] It was released theatrically by Focus Features the following year.

In 2017 Duerr wrote and compiled a monograph and art book about forgotten 20th century artist Herbert E. Crowley, The Temple of Silence: Forgotten Works and Worlds of Herbert Crowley. The book, which included material salvaged by Duerr from an abandoned house in Rockland County, was published by after raising more than $120,000 on Kickstarter.[19] The book was described by Kirkus Reviews as "a surrealistic, sometimes unsettling pleasure for fans of the avant-garde and an obvious labor of love for all concerned."[20]

Artwork[]

Duerr is known for his elaborately detailed pen and marker drawings, which he has been creating since the 1990s.[7][21] In 2019, Duerr's artwork was featured at in an exhibit entitled Justin Duerr: Surrender to Survival.[21][22]

  • On the Heels of World War Five (2016), #26 in Duerr's interconnecting scroll series

  • Library of the Dolls (2017)

  • I Found a Hole in the Sky (2019)

References[]

  1. ^ Kroll, Yoni. "Duerr-onomy: The World According to Justin," Abinka.com, September 2003.
  2. ^ "Not Quite 20 Questions with Justin Duerr". Circleintosquare.com. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles. Film. Dir: Jon Foy. Focus Features, 2011
  4. ^ Fertig, Tami. "Thinking Outside the Book :: Cover Story :: Article :: Philadelphia City Paper". Archives.citypaper.net. Archived from the original on 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  5. ^ Lloyd, John. "Not Your Routine Zine Scene," P.A.W. Print, August 2004.
  6. ^ "/WUVT-FM 90.7/ - An Interview with Justin Duerr of Northern Liberties". Wuvt.vt.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  7. ^ a b Zheng, Lin (2011-11-10). "Arts Top 5: Best of Philly Zine | 34th Street Magazine". 34st.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  8. ^ Rapa, Patrick. "Fit To Print". Archives.citypaper.net. Archived from the original on 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  9. ^ "Extended Interview with Justin Duerr". WHYY.org. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  10. ^ Rochester, Katherine (2012-04-11). "You'll Need a Magnifying Glass for "Stranger Things Have Happened" at Gallery 309". Philadelphia Weekly. Archived from the original on 2013-09-12. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  11. ^ Schwartz, Chip (2012-09-02). "Justin Duerr unfurls his tale for open studios at Traction Company". Knight Arts. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  12. ^ Karas, Katie (2009-03-04). "visual art: Song-Story Images". Philadelphia City Paper. Archived from the original on 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  13. ^ Amorosi, A.D. (2006-03-02). "Taking Liberties - In the cave with Philly's rock extremists". Philadelphia City Paper. Archived from the original on 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  14. ^ Wallen, Doug (2008-01-16). "Live Music: Northern Liberties". Philadelphia Weekly. Archived from the original on 2013-10-28. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  15. ^ "suckers and biters". suckers and biters. Archived from the original on 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  16. ^ "Bad Subjects: Dawn of Decades". Bad.eserver.org. 2001-11-15. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  17. ^ Rose, Joel (September 23, 2006). "Toynbee Tiles Mystery Resurrected in Philly". NPR. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  18. ^ "2011 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films in Competition | Sundance Film Festival". Sundance.org. 2010-12-01. Archived from the original on 2011-02-02. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  19. ^ Salisbury, Stephan (July 8, 2019). "The world's 'most forgotten' cartoonist is being revived by this brand-new Philly publisher". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  20. ^ "THE TEMPLE OF SILENCE Forgotten Works & Worlds of Herbert Crowley by Justin Duerr". Kirkus Reviews. February 3, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Traveling This Summer? Here Are the Shows You Can't Miss in 5 Cities Across the United States". Artnet News. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  22. ^ "Justin Duerr: Surrender to Survival". Intuit. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.

External links[]

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