“William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows” hadn’t opened when I was in Los Angeles (through April 9). This major survey of his work at the Broad spans more than 35 years of his highly inventive and unconventional, politically charged career. His focus has been on the legacy of colonialism, racism, and building resilience against these historical structures, and is personally motivated by his homeland of South Africa. It’s not an exaggeration to say that he re-wrote the playbook of what it means to be an artist with his drawings, performances, tapestries, film animations, theater sets, sculptures, and directing. He’s also directed and made the sets for two operas at the Metropolitan Opera and other leading houses around the world.
“Aida Muluneh: This Is Where I Am” (Public Art Fund, March 1 through May 21) brings a dozen of this Ethiopian-born artist’s larger-than-life, brightly colored photographs to 330 bus shelters throughout New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Abidjan in the Côte d’Ivoire. The images are highly personal, inspired by her experience as an immigrant and refugee, and informed by the different political regimes she has lived through. You can’t miss the nods to religious iconography, Surrealism, and the studio portraiture of the brilliant West African photographer Malick Sidibé.
“Resting Our Eyes” (curated by Tahirah Rasheed and Autumn Breon, January 21 through June 25) at the ICA San Francisco. The new kid on the block, it’s a non-collecting contemporary art museum dedicated to community, transparency, and experimentation. The show features new and existing work about the liberation and celebration of Black women, with a focus on leisure and adornment. Twenty artists make the point—including Deborah Willis, Ja’Tovia Gary, Lauren Halsey, Lorna Simpson, and Simone Leigh.
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