Artist’s voices aren’t always easy to listen to. Sometimes it’s because they’re speaking to uncomfortable realities that shape our societies and lives. In other cases, the art may be part of that uncomfortable reality, reflecting rather than critiquing harmful perspectives. The solo exhibitions below all represent artists with strong individual visions and voices, some more problematic than enlightening, but all thought provoking.
A small but succinct show of Glenn Ligon’s works demonstrates why the artist’s dissection of racism through language and intelligibility is as urgent now as it was nearly 40 years ago. Chloë Bass similarly uses text, but joined with mirrors and home movies, to look at what it means to be mixed race in a society that fetishizes differences, while Elle Pérez uses photography to capture moments of togetherness among the varied families in a person’s life.
Finally, Hyperallergic’s Managing Editor, Hakim Bishara, goes into the belly of the American psycho-social beast with a massive Diane Arbus retrospective. No, it’s not a show that we heartily endorse, but — especially given that the venue wouldn’t allow outside photography — it is one that you should see for yourself. —Natalie Haddad, Reviews Editor
Elle Pérez: The World Is Always Again Beginning, History with the Present
American Academy of Arts and Letters, Broadway between West 155 and 156 Streets, Washington Heights, Manhattan
Through July 3
“[The exhibition] is about Pérez’s earliest impulse: to hold a feeling still — which is, really, a means of honoring the living, witnessing them.” —Monica Uszerowicz
Read the full review here.
Glenn Ligon
Brant Foundation, 421 East 6th Street, East Village, Manhattan
Through July 19
“His use of language as a medium points up its failings as well as the viewer’s stake in what’s said and whether or not it’s legible to us.” —NH
Read the full review here.
Chloë Bass: Twice Seen
Alexander Gray Associates, 384 Broadway, Tribeca, Manhattan
Through July 26
“She’s daring us — particularly those of us from multiracial backgrounds — to redefine ‘capture,’ to pay attention to seemingly unremarkable things, and refuse to turn ourselves and one another into novelties.” —Lakshmi Rivera Amin
Read the full review here.
Diane Arbus: Constellation
Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, Lenox Hill, Manhattan
Through August 17
“In her photos, the rich look sophisticated and stately, while the wretched seem trapped in her gaze.” —Hakim Bishara
Read the full review here.