Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility
Edited with introduction and text by Ashley James. Text by Abbe Schriber, Ayanna Dozier, Key Jo Lee, Legacy Russell, Jordan Carter. Contributions by Kevin Young, Harmony Holiday, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Rio Cortez, Kristian Henson, Hassan Rahim, Marwa Helal.
From Dawoud Bey and Lorna Simpson to Sondra Perry and Kerry James Marshall, a multiethnic group of artists explores what it means to be seen, not seen or erased in the world through formal experimentations with the figure
Going Dark brings together a multigenerational group of contemporary artists who engage the "semi-visible" figure—representations that are partially (or fully) obscured, including, in some cases, literally darkened—and suggests that the concept of going dark is a tool that has been used by artists for decades to probe enduring questions surrounding both the potential and the discontents of social visibility. Across mediums—painting, photography, sculpture, video and installation—Going Dark names, charts and makes meaning of the semi-visible figure, arguing for its significance in contemporary art as a genre of unique conceptual and formal power. Approximately 120 works in all of these mediums by more than 25 artists are featured. Essays by such curators as Legacy Russell and Jordan Carter, and professor Abbe Schriber, among others, contextualize the histories that inspired these works. In addition, four award-winning poets and three acclaimed graphic designers have contributed works. Artists include: American Artist, Kevin Beasley, Rebecca Belmore, Dawoud Bey, John Edmonds, Ellen Gallagher, David Hammons, Lyle Ashton Harris, Tomashi Jackson, Titus Kaphar, Glenn Ligon, Kerry James Marshall, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Joiri Minaya, Sandra Mujinga, Chris Ofili, Sondra Perry, Farah Al Qasimi, Faith Ringgold, Doris Salcedo, Lorna Simpson, Sable Elyse Smith, Stephanie Syjuco, Hank Willis Thomas, WangShui, Carrie Mae Weems and Charles White.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
The New York Times: Arts
Aruna D'Souza
It’s a compelling counterpoint to the art world’s seemingly endless hunger for Black portraiture by superstars like Jordan Casteel, Amy Sherald, Henry Taylor and Kehinde Wiley, who have long been offering images of Black subjectivity through figuration. In this show, the figure is often barely there.
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Featured spreads are from Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility, published to accompany the critically acclaimed exhibition on view now at the Guggenheim. Featuring figurative work by David Hammons, Titus Kaphar and Lorna Simpson (pictured here), among more than two dozen others, Going Dark explores what it means to be seen, not seen or erased in contemporary society. Guggenheim curator Ashley James writes, “This exhibition mobilizes going dark as a concept that names the obfuscation of the figure across mediums, with a focus on painting and photography, as a means of addressing urgent and ongoing discussions around invisibility and evasion, particularly for marginalized subjects. While questions of visibility are relevant across time, this exhibition takes works from the mid-1980s, a critical art historical juncture, as a launching point, while also acknowledging developments forged by 1970s Conceptual artists. Indeed, going dark refers to the occlusion in a formal sense, with many of the artists in the show engaging in questions of perception. Through the lens of going dark emerges an (art) history embedded within a complex matrix of threat, visibility, desire, violence, perception and experimentation concomitantly, asking: what are the stakes of being seen?” continue to blog
Featured spreads are from Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility, published to accompany the critically acclaimed exhibition on view now at the Guggenheim. Featuring figurative work by David Hammons, Titus Kaphar and Lorna Simpson (pictured here), among more than two dozen others, Going Dark explores what it means to be seen, not seen or erased in contemporary society. Guggenheim curator Ashley James writes, “This exhibition mobilizes going dark as a concept that names the obfuscation of the figure across mediums, with a focus on painting and photography, as a means of addressing urgent and ongoing discussions around invisibility and evasion, particularly for marginalized subjects. While questions of visibility are relevant across time, this exhibition takes works from the mid-1980s, a critical art historical juncture, as a launching point, while also acknowledging developments forged by 1970s Conceptual artists. Indeed, going dark refers to the occlusion in a formal sense, with many of the artists in the show engaging in questions of perception. Through the lens of going dark emerges an (art) history embedded within a complex matrix of threat, visibility, desire, violence, perception and experimentation concomitantly, asking: what are the stakes of being seen?” continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 8 x 12 in. / 256 pgs / 150 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $65.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $94 GBP £57.00 ISBN: 9780892075638 PUBLISHER: Guggenheim Museum Publications AVAILABLE: 11/21/2023 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility
Published by Guggenheim Museum Publications. Edited with introduction and text by Ashley James. Text by Abbe Schriber, Ayanna Dozier, Key Jo Lee, Legacy Russell, Jordan Carter. Contributions by Kevin Young, Harmony Holiday, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Rio Cortez, Kristian Henson, Hassan Rahim, Marwa Helal.
From Dawoud Bey and Lorna Simpson to Sondra Perry and Kerry James Marshall, a multiethnic group of artists explores what it means to be seen, not seen or erased in the world through formal experimentations with the figure
Going Dark brings together a multigenerational group of contemporary artists who engage the "semi-visible" figure—representations that are partially (or fully) obscured, including, in some cases, literally darkened—and suggests that the concept of going dark is a tool that has been used by artists for decades to probe enduring questions surrounding both the potential and the discontents of social visibility. Across mediums—painting, photography, sculpture, video and installation—Going Dark names, charts and makes meaning of the semi-visible figure, arguing for its significance in contemporary art as a genre of unique conceptual and formal power. Approximately 120 works in all of these mediums by more than 25 artists are featured.
Essays by such curators as Legacy Russell and Jordan Carter, and professor Abbe Schriber, among others, contextualize the histories that inspired these works. In addition, four award-winning poets and three acclaimed graphic designers have contributed works.
Artists include: American Artist, Kevin Beasley, Rebecca Belmore, Dawoud Bey, John Edmonds, Ellen Gallagher, David Hammons, Lyle Ashton Harris, Tomashi Jackson, Titus Kaphar, Glenn Ligon, Kerry James Marshall, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Joiri Minaya, Sandra Mujinga, Chris Ofili, Sondra Perry, Farah Al Qasimi, Faith Ringgold, Doris Salcedo, Lorna Simpson, Sable Elyse Smith, Stephanie Syjuco, Hank Willis Thomas, WangShui, Carrie Mae Weems and Charles White.
