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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility

Farah Al Qasimi, It’s Not Easy Being Seen 2, 2016.

Oct 20, 2023 – Apr 7, 2024
1071 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128, USA

The imagery in “Going Dark” explores the dueling impulses of wanting to be seen while also wanting to hide. The show features 28 artists, the majority of whom are Black and many of whom are women—two groups that are heavily scrutinized yet often erased from society and politics. “If being visible is a trap, is there solace to be found in near-invisibility?” asked the journalist Aruna D’Souza in a New York Times article about the exhibition. Moving between figuration and abstraction, the artworks hide the body using a variety of techniques, challenging viewers to look closely and to question initial perceptions. Curated by Dr. Ashley James, the exhibition features a broad range of artists, from David Hammons and Faith Ringgold, to Kerry James Marshall, to younger artists Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Farah Al Qasimi, and Sondra Perry. —Jeanne Malle