Art
The Animations and Improvisations of a Trailblazing Nigerien Filmmaker
The Museum of Modern Art's retrospective of the works of Moustapha Alassane is every bit the breakthrough it appears to be.
Review
Art
Art That’s Too Lovely to Make Its Politics Convincing
Elias Sime's work at James Cohan gallery reclaims and transforms e-waste into art. While an act of conscience, I can’t help but think that the work is swamped by its own aesthetics.
Art
The Multifarious Feminism of the Whitney Biennial
Through its feminist contributions, the exhibition offers a window onto some of our most pressing cultural concerns, as well as our shortcomings.
Art
An Installation in a 19th-Century Department Store Collapses Time
In Michael Jones McKean's exhibition The Ground, organized by the Contemporary, he explores the many lives of a former department store that is now home to a sea of internet servers.
Books
How Artists Strive to Make Sense of the Archive in the “Middle East”
The ambitious volume Dissonant Archives: Contemporary Visual Culture and Contested Narratives in the Middle East in many ways responds to the post-1990s archive fever, but from a specific geographic locale.
Art
A Photographer Captures the Sumptuous Loneliness of American Subcultures
In his show at Garvey Simon Art Access, Timothy Hursley presents photographic investigations into Southern funeral homes, Mormon sects, and empty brothels.
Art
A Poetic Sharjah Biennial for a World in Turmoil
Tamawuj, the 13th biennial organized by the Sharjah Art Foundation, is generous and speculative, unfolding into something almost hopeful.
Art
100 Years of Queer British Art, from Fin de Siècle Aesthetics to Performative Dandyism
Although Tate Britain’s survey is a strong attempt to represent queer experiences, certain gaps emerge in the narrative.
Art
Studying the Design of a 19th-Century Mental Asylum
An exhibition at the National Building Museum explores St. Elizabeths in Washington, DC, and the history of mental health architecture in the United States.
Art
An Irreverent Performance of Naked Dancers Dressed as Iconic Buildings
In Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa's performance "A Brief History of Architecture in Guatemala" at the Guggenheim, the artist invited us to consider why we revere iconic architecture in the first place.
Art
Weighing Ai Weiwei's Work Amid Butterflies and Botanical Life
Does the political content of his art translate to a botanical garden and sculpture park in Michigan?
Art
Nutty Configurations of Victorian Tchotchkes Highlight Contemporary Anxiety
In Amy Douglas's show at Jack Hanley, Staffordshire figures become absurd reflections of our time.