Singing in Unison: Artists Need to Create On the Same Scale That Society Has the Capacity to Destroy Miguel Abreu Gallery

Singing in Unison: Artists Need to Create On the Same Scale That Society Has the Capacity to Destroy Miguel Abreu Gallery organized by Phong H. Bui and Cal McKeever

In loving memory of Richard Nonas (1936–2021)

Miguel Abreu Gallery is pleased to announce the opening, on Wednesday, September 7th, of Singing In Unison, a multi-part, large scale group exhibitions organized by Phong Bui and the Rail Curatorial Projects. The exhibition will be on view at our 88 Eldridge Street location.

Having witnessed two ruptures—the pandemic and the ongoing crisis of our social and political condition, implemented in part by those who deploy technology and social media to create chaos and anxiety for self-serving purposes—the Brooklyn Rail responded swiftly by launching its daily Zoom lunchtime series, the New Social Environment (NSE). NSE cultivates thoughtful discussions on pertinent topics in the arts, humanities, and sciences and values the ampliﬁcation of “social intimacy”—in contrast to “social distancing”—through culture.

As an extension of this communal action and following the aspiration to heal our political ills through the arts and the humanities, this exhibition aims to foster social unity by bringing together a diversity of practices, styles, and voices. As we slowly emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, this timely show is a celebration of hope for a better future, in the spirit of the Rail’s critically praised 2013 exhibition, Come Together: Surviving Sandy. The unifying idea behind this wide-ranging and broadly inclusive exhibition is suggested by its title: Singing in Unison: Artists Need to Create on the Same Scale That Society Has the Capacity to Destroy.

Singing In Unison is inspired by an underlying philosophy that runs through American history and advocates for “the art of joining” as a social and cultural process that can mediate the disequilibrium within American politics and culture. The exhibition combines works made by artists who were formally trained, alongside works by others who were self-taught. In what is on view, themes of gender, ethnicity, the limits of knowledge, are prominently featured.

As an integral part of the Rail’s curatorial vision, which emphasizes cross-pollination of the arts and humanities, the exhibition harnesses the power of art as a public site to stage programming, and will be accompanied by events, including panel discussions, poetry readings, musical and dance performances, as well as film screenings (information to be announced at a later date).

Each iteration of the exhibition series is dedicated to a recently deceased friend and artist, as a tribute and form of living memory to their lasting contributions. Singing In Unison, Part Six is dedicated to American sculptor and anthropologist, Richard Nonas (1936–2021).

Peter Acheson, Yasi Alipour, Adam Bartos, Tony Bechara, Susan Bee, Andrea Belag, Lauren Bon and Metabolic Studio, Phong H. Bui, Arthur Cohen, Ann Craven, Thornton Dial, Aleksandar Duravcevic, Mitch Epstein, Lucy Fradkin, Joe Fyfe, Rico Gatson, Glenn Goldberg, Guy Goodwin, Ron Gorchov, Joanne Greenbaum, Marcia Hafif, Josephine Halvorson, EJ Hauser, William Hawkins, Bill Jensen, Ben Keating, Jon Kessler, An-My Le, Matvey Levenstein, Margrit Lewczuk, Sam Lewitt, Scott Lyall, Chris Martin, Tom McGlynn, Sam Messer, Andrew Moeller, Cy Morgan, Loren Munk, John Newman, Richard Nonas, Louis Osmosis, Paul Pagk, Joanna Pousette-Dart, Florian Pumhösl, Raha Raissnia, Jimmy Raskin, Bill Rauhauser, Blake Rayne, Dorothea Rockburne, Clifford Ross, Nellie Mae Rowe, Sean Scully, Arlene Shechet, Rirkrit Tiravanija & Tomas Vu, Liliane Tomasko, Bill Traylor, Martha Tuttle, Inez Nathaniel Walker, George Widener, Peter Lamborn Wilson, Bob Witz, Purvis Young

https://miguelabreugallery.com/exhibitions/singing-in-unison-artists-need-to-create-on-the-same-scale-that-society-has-the-capacity-to-destroy/

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