聽鈥淭here is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless.鈥 鈥 Simone de Beauvoir. Often referred to as 鈥渢he city that never sleeps鈥, New York always has an immense range of exhibitions on offer across its 1,500 galleries. Here, we recommend five shows to see this summer 鈥 from fashion to installation and photography 鈥 helping you choose from the vast cultural map of the five boroughs.
Museum of the City | Until 21 July 2024
鈥淎round the world, billions of people have an idea of what New York City is because they have learned about it through movies, television, music, literature, photography and more,鈥 these are the words of the museum’s Chief Curator and Interim Director Sarah M. Henry. 鈥淭he metropolis is an object of perpetual fascination that is interpreted and reinterpreted and continues to inspire creators across different genres.鈥 This exhibition introduces familiar 鈥 and unseen 鈥 artworks that reflect the city’s atmosphere. Berenice Abbott鈥檚 (1898-1991) black and white images from 1938 capture the bustle of inhabitants, for example, whilst Edward Hopper鈥檚 painting New York Movie (1939) depicts the grand interiors of midtown houses. Elsewhere, visitors can immerse themselves in video footage. A selection of over 400 clips, curated by a committee of scholars and experts, includes classics such as Alfred Hitchcock鈥檚 Rear Window (1954).
, David Zwirner | Until 21 July
David Zwirner鈥檚 display elaborates on Yayoi Kusama鈥檚 signature motifs: pumpkins, flowers and polka dots. It also features a new Infinity Mirror Room. The exhibition is named after three monumental flower sculptures, which are inspired by Kusama鈥檚 lifelong fascination with nature. The Japanese creative, who is now 94-years-old, occupies a unique position in the story of contemporary art. Since her early forays into pop and minimalism in the 1960s, she has created a highly personal oeuvre that has continued to resonate with global audiences into the age of social media. Distinctly recognisable, her projects frequently deploy repetitive elements 鈥攍ike spots and mirrors 鈥 to evoke both microscopic and macroscopic universes. Her highly influential career encompasses design, fashion, film, intervention, outdoor installation, literature, painting, performance and room-size presentations within existing architectural structures.
, MoMA | Until 16 September
Museum of Modern Art’s New Photography initiative has introduced work by more than 150 artists from around the world since its inception in 1985. The most recent show foregrounds seven image-makers, all at various stages in their careers, who are united by their ties to the creative scene in Lagos, Nigeria. Organiser and Associate Curator Oluremi C. Onabanjo says: 鈥淚n a world where global systems of relation are a given, images occupy a crucial position.鈥 Monochrome pictures by Akinbode Akinbiyi (b. 1946), Abraham Oghobase (b. 1979) and Logo Oluwamuyiwa (b. 1990) capture dreamlike landscapes and scenic horizons. They are juxtaposed with dynamic snapshots of protest by Yagazie Emezi (b. 1989). Elsewhere, Karl Ohiri鈥檚 (b. 1983) pastel coloured compositions are presented alongside Amanda Iheme鈥檚 (b. 1992) spatial documentary work, with intimate portraits contributed by Kelani Abass (b. 1990).
, Brooklyn Museum | Until 22 October
This exhibition celebrates the outstanding creativity, ingenuity and global impact of African fashion from the 1950s to the present day. It’s the largest survey on the subject in North America, comprising works that investigate how attire, alongside visual arts and music, played a pivotal role in the continent鈥檚 cultural representation during its liberation years, whilst laying the foundations of an artistic revolution. The display organises catwalk footage, garments, literature, photographs, sketches, textiles and moving images into different themes. Politics and Poetics of the Cloth, for example, documents how wearing Indigenous garments became a powerful political act. Capturing Change shows portraits that chronicle the independence years and a growing sense of agency and pride in Black communities. Vanguard, meanwhile, introduces the first generation of African designers to gain global attention.
, Whitney Museum of American Art | Until February 2024
At Whitney, nearly 60 works by 43 leading artists trace the profound impact of familial and historical legacies. This diverse array of drawings, time-based media installations, paintings, photographs, sculptures and videos has been collated from the last five decades, and asks us to contemplate what has been passed on, and how it may shift in future. Director Jade Panetta says: 鈥淭he display offers a unique opportunity to frame the objects at the Whitney and to introduce creative projects while making a powerful argument about the relationship between the past and present through this idea of inheritance.鈥 The show considers some of the painful and difficult legacies that have shaped our society, such as racialised violence, and features creatives Ana Mendieta (1948-1985), Carrie Mae Weems (b. 1953) and Sherrie Levine (b. 1947).
Words: Fruzsina Vida
Image credits:
1. M谩ximo Col贸n. Easter Sunday Parade (Norman Rockwell Moment). 2001. Copyright M谩ximo Rafael C贸lon
2. Installation view, Yayoi Kusama: I Spend Each Day Embracing Flowers, David Zwirner, New York, May 11鈥擩uly 21, 2023 漏 YAYOI KUSAMA Courtesy of David Zwirner
3. Akinbode Akinbiyi,聽Bar Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos, from the series 鈥淪ea Never Dry,鈥 2006. Inkjet print. 23 5鈦8 x 23 5鈦8 inches. Courtesy of the artist. 漏 Akinbode Akinbiyi.
4. Photo by LakinOgunbanwo, image courtesy of Nataal
5.Sophie Rivera, I am U, 1995
