Both Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince are borrowers. They raid movies, pulp novels, comic books, advertising, social media, and celebrity culture for images, which they convert into art through force of will. Jafa’s practice is shaped by his experience as a Black American man and by a determination to reimagine how Black life is seen. Prince circles around white masculinity and the darker undertones of the American psyche. Their art has been in conversation for years but has never before been publicly examined. This exhibition, curated by Nancy Spector, promises an exposé of America—its grit and its grift, its musical genius, its perversions, and its humor. The title takes its name from several loaded historical moments: a 1968 Beatles song; a Charles Manson prophecy; and a 1992 exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, criticized for its exclusion of Black artists. —Elena Clavarino
Arts Intel Report
Helter Skelter: Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince
Arthur Jafa, Mickey Mouse was a Scorpio, 2017.
When
May 9 – Nov 22, 2026
Where
Etc
Photo: Ian Watts.TV. Richard Prince, Graduation, 2008. Collection of Larry Gagosian © Richard Prince © Arthur Jafa / Midnight Robber