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.
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
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