A through line in his work

David Byrne, Human Content, 2002, pencil on paper, 16-7/8" x 14" paper, signed,
 titled and dated verso in pencil unique © David Byrne

 From NYer Nov 17, 2025. "Going Through the Motions" Amanda Petrusich

Byrne is unusually open to change, and this might be why his career has lasted for more than fifty years. One evening, I asked if he could isolate a through line in the work— some philosophy uniting the records, the books, the theatre, the art, the dance, the installations, the bike racks, the films. "Well, they're definitely asking similar kinds of questions: Who are we? How do we see the world? How do we make the world for ourselves? How do we make ourselves as individuals?" he said. "What might appear to be negative the fact that we can adapt to things that are not real, that we can change in other ways— is actually positive, because it means that your perception of the world around you, of other people, of yourself, is not fixed.