Rashid Johnson
Untitled Escape Collage, 2016
White ceramic tile, black soap, wax, vinyl, spray enamel
241.3 x 360.7 x 6.4 cm / 95 x 142 x 2 1/2 in
‘Rashid Johnson: Fly Away’ at Hauser & Wirth New York Hauser & Wirth presents ‘Fly Away’, an exhibition of new paintings and sculptures by Rashid Johnson, 8 September – 22 October 2016.]]>
Source: Hauser & Wirth New York
Taking its name from the time-honored 1929 hymn ‘I’ll Fly Away’, a song reinterpreted over decadesby scores of artists – from gospel legends of the Dust Bowl era to such contemporary pop performers as KanyeWest – the exhibition reveals Johnson pondering themes of history, yearning, and escape while intensifying hislongstanding investigation into the relationship between art, society, and personal identity.
On view through 22 October, ‘Fly Away’ also includes performances by New York-based classically trainedpianist and music producer Antoine Baldwin, also known as Audio BLK. During the first week of the exhibition,Baldwin will perform on an upright piano situated at the center of Johnson’s massive installation environment.Thereafter, he will periodically enter the gallery unannounced to activate the space anew by playing original jazzcompositions.
The theme of anxiety has played a recurring role in Johnson’s work. In fall 2015 he presented the critically admiredexhibition ‘Rashid Johnson: Anxious Men’ at The Drawing Center in New York, featuring small-scale black soapand wax portraits on tile, his first figurative work outside of photography and film – and a harbinger. In ‘Fly Away’at Hauser & Wirth, those individual portraits have multiplied into unnerved crowds.
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Rashid Johnson at Hauser & Wirth (exhibition, 2013)
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