Glenn Ligon: To Be A Negro In This Country Is Really Never To Be Looked At

Ligon (American b. 1960; lives New York City) is one of the most prominent voices in contemporary art. This exhibition features works from some of his best-known series, accompanied by labels written by the artist himself. Ligon’s engagement with language, examination of the African American experience, and the influence of his muses, including artist Andy Warhol (1928 ̶ 1987) and author/social critic James Baldwin (1924-1987), take center stage. A Baldwin quote forms the exhibition’s title and speaks to the show’s central concept, described by Ligon as “the invisibility and simultaneous hypervisibility of black people in America.”

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a group of five never-before-seen grey paintings from Ligon’s celebrated Hands series depicting the Million Man March, a large and controversial convening of African American men on the National Mall in 1995. The works are hung on top of a facsimile of Andy Warhol’s rarely shown Washington Monument wallpaper, a privilege granted to few artists. Employing a technique Warhol pioneered, Ligon silkscreened press images of the protesters onto canvas and obscured the background, leaving the figures eerily silent. However, installed on the wallpaper, Ligon’s subjects are thrust back into their original and powerful setting.

Text-based two-dimensional works form the rest of the exhibition, including a suite of Study for Negro Sunshine drawings and large photographic prints from the 2016 Untitled series.

This exhibition is generously supported by Maria & Alberto de la Cruz. Curated by Al Miner.