ROMULUS x THE ARMORY SHOW, SEPTEMBER 24–27, 2026ROMULUS x THE ARMORY SHOW, SEPTEMBER 24–27, 2026
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ROMULUS x THE ARMORY SHOW, SEPTEMBER 24–27, 2026ROMULUS x THE ARMORY SHOW, SEPTEMBER 24–27, 2026
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Melvin Way, Purple Haze

Melvin WayPurple Haze, c. 2008

Pen on found paper

7.5 x 8.25 in

About the artist

Melvin “Milky” Way was an Outsider Artist whose work occupies the uncharted border between art and science. B Born in South Carolina in 1954, Way came to New York City in the 1970s to attend a technical school, earning a certificate to operate a power press. He played bass in local bands, and recorded a solo album with Encounter Records, which folded before the album could be released. Soon after, Way was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and following a string of unsuccessful relationships, became homeless. While living at the Ft. Washington Men's Shelter in 1980 his work was discovered by an art workshop instructor. Way used ballpoint pens to make small drawings filled with chemical and mathematical formulae, abstract designs and cryptic words and phrases. His personal system of meaning may be indecipherable to the casual viewer, but a close-enough glance indicates a fervent attempt to divine the secrets of the universe.

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