Midweek Roundup: 6/5
1. Nona Faustine: White Shoes at Brooklyn Museum
“What does a Black person look like today in those places where Africans were once sold, a century and a half ago?” asks Brooklyn-born artist, Nona faustine. Using her own body, she interrogates this question in her photographic series “White Shoes.” More than 40 self-portraits show Faustine standing in sites across NYC from Harlem to Wall Street, that are built upon legacies of enslavement in New York—one of the last Northern states to abolish slavery.
2. Le Grand Soir
Artist Yto Barrada transforms the MoMA PS1 courtyard with a large-scale installation titled “Le Grand Soir,” a two-year commission. This is Barrada’s first major outdoor work and is composed of colorful concrete blocks stacked into pyramidal towers whose lower levels visitors can sit on and explore, providing an interactive experience in the courtyard.
3. Wonder City of the World: New York City Travel Posters
The phrase “Wonder City” was the brainchild of marketers. It had appeared in newspaper and magazine advertisements and articles sporadically through the final decades of the 19th century. This exhibition at Poster House tracks how NYC was represented to decades of new travelers, immigrants, and tourists.
4. In Neighboring Visions Westchester Artists Then and Now
With loans from the Bronxville Historical society, Hudson River Museum presents,“In Neighboring Visions” which juxtaposes historical paintings with contemporary works likewise inspired by Westchester’s verdant forests, crystalline waterways, and pastoral scenes. these contemporary works continue the tradition of exploring the relationship between Westchester County’s inhabitants and the natural world.
5. Paul Klee: Psychic Improvisation
A pioneering modernist of unrivaled creative output, Paul Klee (1879–1940) counts among the truly defining artists of the twentieth century. He was associated with some of the most important art movements of the twentieth century, including expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. this exhibition at David Zwirner explores how his practice remained highly individualistic and distinct.