The Black artist Gary Simmons has long explored the stereotypes that live in pop iconography. Simmons became famous for his “Erasures” series on chalkboard, which challenged racist caricatures. Nevertheless, he primarily views himself as an installation artist, and his topics are widespread. Born in 1964, Simmons was a teenager in the 80s, when garage bands were all the rage. Many a young professional once gathered in a suburban garage to make music, and that indoor-outdoor structure is today symbolic of radical youth and promise. At Tank Shanghai, Simmons explores the connotations of garages in a large-scale installation. He has enclosed amps and speakers in plywood, and created collages of band D.J.s and concert posters. The mishmash of objects and moments is not chronological, in keeping with those times. —E.C.