Largest-Ever Arthur Jafa Survey Opens at New Museum in September

The New Museum is set to present the most extensive exhibition to date of filmmaker and multimedia artist Arthur Jafa, titled "I Am Tony," paying tribute to jazz drummer Tony Williams. This showcase will open on September 24 and will be available until January 4, 2027, occupying two floors in the museum's newly expanded Manhattan location. Spanning nearly four decades of Jafa's exploration of "Black being," the exhibition features notable pieces such as "Love is the Message, The Message is Death" (2016), a video montage accompanied by Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam," which was streamed live by multiple institutions during the Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020. Additionally, "The White Album" (2018), a critique of whiteness that earned a Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Biennale, will be showcased alongside new works. The exhibition also pays homage to Williams, known for his innovative jazz drumming style with the Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s. Jafa, originally from Tupelo, Mississippi, pursued architecture at Howard University before relocating to Los Angeles to focus on cinematography, having worked on films for Stanley Kubrick and directed Jay-Z's "4:44" music video. Curated by Massimiliano Gioni, Gary Carrion-Murayari, and Calvin Wang, this exhibition will run alongside "Diego Marcon: Arrivederci, Piggies!" and "The Bowery: Devil's Mile."