Julie Mehretu's 'Ensemble' at Palazzo Grassi challenges artistic individualism through collaboration.
The exhibition 'Ensemble' by Julie Mehretu at Palazzo Grassi in Venice showcases a 46-minute film titled 'Promises Through Congress,' created by Trevor Tweeten, which features improvisations by Pharoah Sanders from the 2021 album 'Promises.' This film draws inspiration from Mehretu's 2003 artwork 'Congress.' In contrast, Huma Bhabha's 2023 sculpture 'New Human' is displayed alongside Mehretu's painting 'Invisible Line (collective)' from 2010–11. The exhibition also features Paul Pfeiffer's sculptures of Justin Bieber and Jessica Rankin's threaded canvases, while Nairy Baghramian frames various paintings throughout the space. Notably, Mehretu's 2018 piece 'Hineni (E. 3:4)' includes digitally altered images of the 2017 Northern California wildfires, reflecting her artistic journey from 2001 to 2023 and questioning Michel de Certeau's 'Solar Eye' theory.
Key facts
- Julie Mehretu's survey exhibition 'Ensemble' is at Palazzo Grassi in Venice
- The exhibition includes a 46-minute film 'Promises Through Congress' by Trevor Tweeten featuring Pharoah Sanders's music
- Huma Bhabha's 2023 sculpture 'New Human' is installed opposite Mehretu's painting 'Invisible Line (collective)'
- Works by Paul Pfeiffer, Jessica Rankin, and Nairy Baghramian are featured alongside Mehretu's paintings
- Mehretu's 2018 work 'Hineni (E. 3:4)' uses manipulated photographs of the 2017 Northern California wildfires
- The exhibition publication includes an essay by Mehretu referencing David Hammons's 1976 work 'Untitled'
- The show challenges Michel de Certeau's concept of the 'Solar Eye' through curation
- Mehretu's artistic shift after 2016 moves away from architectural schematics toward obscured layers
Entities
Artists
- Julie Mehretu
- Paul Pfeiffer
- Tacita Dean
- Fred Moten
- Pharoah Sanders
- Huma Bhabha
- Trevor Tweeten
- Floating Points
- Jason Moran
- Jessica Rankin
- Nairy Baghramian
- Robin Coste Lewis
- David Hammons
- Édouard Glissant
- Michel de Certeau
- Justin Bieber
- Derica Shields
Institutions
- Palazzo Grassi
- London Symphony Orchestra
- Book Works
- ArtReview
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- New York
- United States
- London
- United Kingdom
- Northern California