Whitney Museum & CARA NYC
A tranquil moment on a busy Friday at the Whitney Museum, NYC, 2023. Photo by AWOL.
Art is a powerful tool used to express our innate connections to nature, humanity, and our own selves. An informative day trip to the Whitney Museum leaves us endlessly inspired to think about the space between shade, line, and emotion. To traverse the levels of the Whitney Museum is to be transported between fragmented perceptions of reality, memory, and time. The themes laden within the exhibitions touch on subjects of social injustice, societal pressures to conform, wars waged amongst the citizens of Earth, and pure expressions of creative beauty.
Before and After, 4, Andy Warhol (1962), Whitney Museum, NYC. Photo by AWOL. Acrylic and graphite pencil on linen. 72 1/8 x 99 3/4 in.
Aesthetically renowned for sharply delineated contrasts, pop-culture references, and voicing matters of mainstream application, Andy Warhol is a luminary of the world of art. To stand in front of a Warhol piece is an opportunity to mark a moment in time. Before and After, 4, confronts the still ongoing issues of dysmorphia and beauty standards of the world, then and now.
SULTANA’S DREAM, CHITRA GANESH b. 1975, BROOKLYN, NY
“inspired by Sultana’s Dream, a 1905 feminist utopian text written by an early Bengali feminist writer and social reformer, Rokeya Sakhhawat Hossain.” READ MORE HERE.
Sultana's Dream, 2018, Portfolio of 27 Linocuts BFK Rives Tan, 280gsm 20 1/8 x 16 1/8 inches (51.1 x 41 cm) Edition of 35, Exhibition, Whitney Museum, NYC, 2023. Photographed by AWOL.
I had already decided to approach my day in the city with a feeling of openness and anticipation to learn. I’ve been hungry for inspiration, and New York City - my native land - always seems to reinvigorate my senses. I’ve worked with linoleum in the past, and so, this primary detail drew me into a body of work; Sultana’s Dream, by Chitra Ganesh. As I explored the continual design of each tile, I began to realize that the subject matter and ornamental themes seemed familiar - ancestral even. It was only after viewing the work I learned that the creator was of South Asian descent, and also a New York native. I stepped back in full view of the collection, closed my eyes, and meditated on the information before me. The inspiration was downloading.
ENVIRONMENTAL (C. 93’) nORMAN & bRUCE YONEMOTO, SILICONE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
Environmental (1993), Bruce & Norman Yonemoto, Whitney Museum, NYC, 2023. Two-channel video installation, black-and-white, sound, with CRT television set and screens; 24:30 min.
I’m fortunate to have been born during a cross-section of cultures, a time when paradigms rearranged and technologies emerged from the depths. I know what a box-television set looks like, and I remember black-and-white screens. The year was 1989 - a golden year; I am a golden child. To think that the technology of my childhood could now be on display in a museum in New York City, is humbling to say the least. Propaganda and reconstruction through the lens of post-war children; I can relate.
“Environmental (1993), recreates the conflicted media environment of brothers Bruce and Norman Yonemoto’s shared childhood as Japanese Americans living in postwar California,” from the walls at the Whitney Museum, NYC, 2023. Footage by AWOL.
Henry Taylor: B Side, Henry Taylor, Los Angeles, California
Untitled (2021), Henry Taylor, Whitney Museum, NYC, 2023, acrylic on suitcase. AWOL.
Experiencing the creative expressions of Henry Taylor was powerful. I was introduced to his work in a big way through his various installations on the Whitney’s fifth-floor space. Based in Los Angeles, Taylor tells the stories of his family, neighbors, and celebrities and illustrates issues like police brutality, civil unrest, and racism. Immediately recognizable in the untitled work above, Taylor positions the likeness of rapper Tyler, the Creator on the face of a suitcase. One could say it’s portable art with a pop infusion, but there’s surely a deeper meaning attached and I wish to explore the ethos of its significance.
Collection of seven pieces by Henry Taylor, on display at the Whitney Museum, NYC, 2023. Photograph by AWOL. Fiber-tipped pen and acrylic, cardboard, and graphite. Six of the seven pieces are Untitled, whilst number three is called, I’m Here (White Dixie Flag) (1990’s).
Untitled, Henry Taylor
Details, Untitled, Henry Taylor, Whitney Museum, NYC, Floor 5, 2023. Photograph by AWOL.
Untitled, Henry Taylor, Whitney Museum, NYC, Floor 5, 2023. Photograph by AWOL.
Video of Untitled, by Henry Taylor, Whitney Museum, NYC, Floor 5, 2023.
Also untitled, Henry Taylor, ‘created this installation in homage to the Black Panther Party and, in particular, to his brother Randy, who was active in the Party’s branch in Ventura, California,’ (from the Whitney website) READ MORE HERE.
This particular period in time (late 1960s) has often seemed so far away from me, foreign even, and yet, I was able to immerse myself in the fabric, stature, and strength so embodied through the movement of the Black Panthers. I will look back on this moment most fondly and already I feel more connected.
Kara Walker
Stockton California
“…calling to me from the angry surface of some grey and threatening sea. I was transported,” Kara Walker, from the walls at the Whitney Museum, NYC.
I’ve been a fan of Kara Walker for some time and immediately recognized her work as I bounced around the grounds at the Whitney Museum. In this looped, 11-minute video, Walker curates her imagery with the use of paper, silhouettes, photographs, and other symbolism. The visual representation of the injustice and inhumanity experienced by African slaves is real. Walker’s statement is fully received and her approach is unbridled and staunch. I admire Kara Walker greatly; her bravery and mastery of storytelling are something I aspire to embody in my own work.
Exploring Themes of Vulnerability; Trust Me
D'Angelo Lovell Williams, Elysian, 2018. Inkjet print: sheet (sight): 44 9/16 × 29 1/2in. (113.2 × 74.9 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City. Photo by AWOL.
Self-Portrait While Buried #16, 2021, Jennifer Calivas, Dover, NH, Whitney Museum, NYC
A collection of photographic works depicting shared emotional experiences, Trust Me, is an exhibit that features intergenerational artists who “draw parallels between material and emotional contingency,” (from the walls of the Whitney Museum). At the age of eight, I recorded my first movie. As of now, I’m not too sure when I recorded my first black-and-white photograph; whether it was digital or on film - but, I do know that it’s been one of the most important mediums I’ve worked with for the at least the last decade.
Jennifer Calivas is an evocator with still photography and describes the experience of recording light and contrast in her inspired presentation at Hudson Community College this October. Calivas was insightful and truly invited the students in as a collective audience to whom she wished to impart some knowledge. She talked about her process in the dark room, and I was very happily able to relate to this experience so, immediately, I was locked in.
I took notes about Qigong and taking control of your energy while releasing yourself into the earth. I learned that intuition should be trusted and personal freedom can be detected by your audience. They’re looking for it.
Texture, Stroke, Intention
RUTH ASAWA
Growth Patterns
Rhythm and Waves
Untitled (S.780, Wall-Mounted, Double-Sided, Center-Tied, Six-Branched Form Based on Nature), c. 1963, Ruth Asawa, Whitney Museum, NYC. Photograph by AWOL.
Ruth Asawa displays her confidence and aptitude for creating patterns throughout her work in her exhibition, Growth Patterns and Rhythm and Waves. I was drawn to her artwork for the sheer level of committment to balancing negative and positive space, and the technical application of each stroke, application of pressure, and repitition of pattern. To study Asawa’s work will allow for growth in areas of discipline and identifying the line between too much and just enough.
“Asawa filled sheets of paper and notebooks with the Greek meander, a line that turns in on itself and uncoils again, repeating as it travels across the page,” from the Whitney website. READ MORE HERE.
me·an·der: Verb; (of a river or road) follow a winding course.
new york/liberty
Florine Stettheimer
Oil on canvas, Overall (framed): 70 1/2 × 44 1/2 × 2in. (179.1 × 113 × 5.1 cm)
New York/Liberty by Florine Stettheimer is simply a classic piece of American history.
hektad (c)
HonourablE mention
HEKTAD (c) roller as seen from the Whitney terrace, NYC. Major wreck. Photographed by AWOL.
CARA
WEST VILLAGE, NYC
Center for Art Research and Alliances |
Center for Art Research and Alliances |
The Center for Art, Research and Alliances, known as the CARA, is an unexpected gem nestled in the West Village of New York City and a mere twelve minute walk from the Whitney Museum. The building is a stacked construction with every inch of space utilized to house walls lined with books, a seating area in the main entranceway for gathering and discussion and studio, performance and viewing areas in the elevated second and third floors. Performers, educators and staff walk the grounds in search of opportunity to spread knowledge through literature, dance and conversation. Our group was met by Senior Curator and researcher, Rahul Gudipudi, whose tranquil and inviting nature served as an insightful backdrop into the culture and mission at CARA. In their own words, CARA, “is a space for un-learning, kinship, and care: we attend closely to artistic, emotional, and embodied processes and the people who enact them, and we consider this work a vital part of cultural production, historical research, and institution building.”
Currently on display at CARA and curated by Executive Director and Chief Curator, Manuela Moscoso, Ligia Lewis’s (b. 1983, Santo Domingo; lives and works in Berlin) first solo exhibition, study now steady, deranges space and time through performative exploration of historical tropes. Featured as part of the exhibition, Lewis’s commissioned film, A Plot A Scandal (2023), dances around the ideas of ownership and land as a consequence of slavery and the sacrificial abandonment of connection and lineage as a result of the expansive diaspora following the Enlightenment period post-emancipation.
Born in New York City, and a product of the Indian-Caribbean diaspora, I was imbued with a sense of pride and recognition when experiencing the performative interpretations and representation of persons of colour on the screen before me. I felt connected. I felt seen. I felt as if the history of my people was given a chance to shine and a former narrative of loss and longing was suddenly subverted to become a catalyst for reconstruction and change.
Study now steady will be on view at CARA from September 30, 2023, through February 4, 2024.
Excerpt from commissioned film, study now steady, Ligia Lewis, CARA, West Village, NYC, 2023. Curated by Manuela Moscoso, Executive Director and Chief Curator, with production and exhibition design by Agustin Schang, and curatorial assistance by Marian Chudnovsky. Footage by AWOL.
As a women of Indo-Trinidadian descent, it was through divine intervention that I was drawn to some literature available in the CARA bookstore which dedicated its pages to telling the story of the men and women of the Caribbean after emancipation in 1838. Fragments of Epic Memory, is a collection of records from the Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and will serve as one of the main sources of research attributed toward my final exhibition at Hudson Community College this December. I was in search of information to develop my project, and I just couldn’t believe my luck when I came across this book. Again, this is a testament to the mission at CARA and their dedication to ampilifying the voices of the people history once overlooked.
I look forward to visiting again, soon.
a little fun
In the streets of New York
Here’s a pair of ‘only in New York ,’ images from my travels on this day.
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