Most artists reach for brushes or pencils to create art. William S. Burroughs reached for his gun instead.
On Sept. 12, Santa Fe College Gallery held an opening ceremony for “Propagation,” an exhibit featuring pieces by Burroughs and his friend and collaborator, David Bradshaw. The artwork ranges from tall, splintered wooden statues to abstract paintings made from shooting syringes of paint on a canvas.
The exhibit tells the story of Burroughs’ coping with trauma and addiction through art, said Jade Dellinger, the show’s curator.
“Propagation” combines elements of life and destruction, Dellinger said, and it reflects Burroughs and Bradshaw’s “hazardous” relationship as they used various firearms to create artwork together. Bradshaw pitched the exhibit’s name, Dellinger said.
A major postmodern author and artist, Burroughs was born on Feb. 5, 1914, to a wealthy family in Lawrence, Kansas. After graduating from Harvard University, he cycled through various jobs before finding his passion in literature and arts. Burroughs’ works became widely known during the Beat movement in the 1950s. He passed away on Aug. 2, 1997, from a heart attack.
His longtime collaborator Bradshaw, who is still alive at 80 years old, is a fellow American artist whose sculptures, paintings and prints are known for their incorporation of handguns and explosive devices. The two men’s combined “Propagation Hazard” print portfolio is among the most significant outcomes of their artistic collaboration.
Upon entering the gallery, visitors can see seven paintings of varying colored screenprints representing the seven deadly sins. Past this display, abstract paintings with hidden interpretive images inside of them line the walls, along with hand-drawn sketches by Bradshaw. Bullet-damaged wooden artwork and paper creations also feature prominently throughout the gallery.
Burroughs often used art and literature as coping mechanisms. He wrote two novels, “Queer” and “Junky,” to share his experience as a gay man and heroin addict. The former went on to inspire the Luca Guadagnino-directed 2024 film of the same name.
Burroughs began incorporating guns into his art to cope after he accidentally shot and killed his wife while intoxicated, Dellinger said.
Turning his trauma into creative destruction, Burroughs created art by drawing abstract portraits of himself and others, then shooting the portraits themselves.
Many pieces were transported from Fort Myers to be shown at Santa Fe’s exhibit, curator Dellinger said. Some date back to the 1980s.
“We’re lucky to be premiering some things that have been discoveries, that have never been shown before until now,” he said.
Among those pieces: a large, cannon-shaped object Dellinger discovered during a trip he took to Lawrence, Kansas, while visiting one of Burroughs’s old friends. The cannon has padding built into its hollow structure to muffle the sound of a gunshot, so Burroughs could shoot his art pieces quietly.
“This was covered in an inch of dirt and hadn’t moved since 1992,” Dellinger said.
One of Burroughs’s works, “The Mummies,” a series of wooden figures shaped like Egyptian sarcophagi, finally made its full debut. Dellinger didn’t have access to all of the figures before curating “Propagation,” because he didn’t know all their locations. But he managed to locate the missing figures to reunite them for the exhibit.
Burroughs made the figures during a period of heart-related issues, Dellinger said, turning his health issues into art and making “his own coffin.”
Burroughs was friends with “Nirvana” lead singer Kurt Cobain. “Propagation” displays collaborations between the two, such as targets from joint shooting practices, a music album they co-created and a custom-made knife Cobain gifted Burroughs.
The exhibit combines visual art, humanities and literature, said Santa Fe Art Gallery manager Brynna Bat. While Burroughs’ art takes inspiration from abstract styles, the works are hard to place under one genre, she added.
“A lot of what he stood for was the lack of being placed into a subset or a group,” Bat said.
Dellinger, who is also director of the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery at Florida SouthWestern State College, introduced “Propagation” to Bat during a collaborative art show they both participated in last year.
“Burroughs is known for his writing most of all, and he’s a pioneer in literature,” Bat said. “It’s surprising to see artists like that who are skilled in other types of art.”
“Propagation” is a unique show, and many viewers wouldn’t expect to see it at Santa Fe, Bat added.
Amina Walters, an 18-year-old Santa Fe studio junior, became involved with the exhibit through the college’s Fine Arts Scholarship program, which allows students to work as guides at the art gallery. “Propagation” is her favorite gallery so far, Walters said.
Walters helped set up the gallery, and she worked with Dellinger to achieve his vision of displaying Burroughs’ art, she said.
The exhibit has a lot of history, she said, and it showcases Burroughs’ battles with substance abuse and identity struggles. His internal grapple with his sexual orientation also shines in his literature and art, she added.
“I feel like it's still pretty relevant, all the stuff that is here,” she said.
“Propagation” is open to the public with free admission from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Santa Fe College Gallery until Oct. 24.
Contact Leona Masangkay at lmasangkay@alligator.org. Follow them on X @leo_amasangkay.
Leona is a second-year journalism student and the Fall 2025 Santa Fe College reporter. They previously worked on the audience and growth team over the summer as a social media strategist. In their free time, Leona enjoys going to the gym, listening to music and watching Marvel movies.
