Can a Play Capture an Artist as Enigmatic as Henry Darger?

Can a Play Capture an Artist as Enigmatic as Henry Darger?

A new play, *Bughouse*, is attempting to portray the life of reclusive artist Henry Darger on stage at New York's Vineyard Theater. The one-man show, starring John Kelly, draws from Darger's own lengthy autobiography to depict his traumatic childhood, institutionalization, and decades of solitary life in Chicago, where he secretly created his vast, fantastical artwork and writings.

Comment | Reflecting on my father’s art and life on the occasion of his posthumous exhibition

The article is a personal essay by the author reflecting on the life and art of their father, Samuel Kahn (1927-2007), a self-taught artist and clinical psychologist who struggled with bipolar depression. A posthumous exhibition titled "Samuel Kahn, Ph.D. + Friends" opens on 29 January at the Gordon Art Galleries at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, featuring around 50 of his wood-carvings, paintings, and sketches. The author describes how they once believed their father had wasted his life, but now sees his vibrant, untrained works as a source of joy and connection.