Massimiliano Gioni on Okwui Enwezor's Posthumous 'Grief and Grievance' at New Museum
Massimiliano Gioni, the artistic director at the New Museum, reflects on the posthumous exhibition 'Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America,' which debuted in 2021 following delays due to the pandemic and the passing of Okwui Enwezor in March 2019. Initially planned for the 2020 US presidential election, the exhibition showcases the work of 37 artists who explore themes of grief and grievance stemming from racist violence. Enwezor appointed Glenn Ligon as an advisor, while a curatorial team, including Naomi Beckwith, Ligon, Mark Nash, and Gioni, finalized the exhibition. Gioni emphasizes the museum's commitment to diversity, revealing that 46% of solo exhibitions have featured artists of color and 64% have showcased women, all while confronting systemic racism and valuing abstraction.
Key facts
- Okwui Enwezor conceived 'Grief and Grievance' for the New Museum, originally scheduled for 2020.
- Enwezor died in March 2019 at age 55 during the exhibition's preparation.
- The exhibition opened in 2021, delayed by the pandemic.
- It features 37 artists exploring grief and grievance in response to racist violence in America.
- The curatorial committee includes Naomi Beckwith, Glenn Ligon, Mark Nash, and Massimiliano Gioni.
- Enwezor invited Glenn Ligon as an advisor shortly before his death.
- Gioni notes that 46% of solo shows at the New Museum under his tenure have been by artists of color.
- The exhibition includes historical works from the 1960s civil rights era.
- Enwezor wanted the show to open before the 2020 presidential election.
- Gioni defends the New Museum's diversity record, citing early exhibitions of artists of color.
Entities
Artists
- Okwui Enwezor
- Massimiliano Gioni
- Naomi Beckwith
- Glenn Ligon
- Mark Nash
- Kerry James Marshall
- Jack Whitten
- Daniel LaRue Johnson
- Melvin Edwards
- Dawoud Bey
- Carrie Mae Weems
- John Akomfrah
- Nari Ward
- Arthur Jafa
- Garrett Bradley
- Ellen Gallagher
- Deana Lawson
- Tyshawn Sorey
- Simone Leigh
- Kahlil Joseph
- Adam Pendleton
- La Toya Ruby Frazier
- Chris Ofili
- Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
- Mark Bradford
- Julie Mehretu
- Theaster Gates
- Rashid Johnson
- Henry Taylor
- Robert Colescott
- Faith Ringgold
- Felix Gonzalez-Torres
- David Hammons
- Adrian Piper
- Emory Douglas
- Francesco Bonami
- Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Jean-Luc Godard
- John Coltrane
- Elio Vittorini
- Philip Guston
- Terry Adkins
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Kevin Beasley
- LaToya Ruby Frazier
- Charles Gaines
- Jennie C. Jones
- Tiona Nekkia McClodden
- Okwui Okpokwasili
- Julia Phillips
- Howardena Pindell
- Cameron Rowland
- Lorna Simpson
- Sable Elyse Smith
- Diamond Stingily
- Hank Willis Thomas
- Kara Walker
- Lisa Phillips
- Chika Okeke-Agulu
- Elizabeth Alexander
- Judith Butler
- Saidiya Hartman
- Juliet Hooker
- Claudia Rankine
- Christina Sharpe
Institutions
- New Museum
- Haus der Kunst
- Castello di Rivoli
- Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
- Guggenheim Museum
- Studio Museum in Harlem
- MoMA
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Flash Art
- Artribune
- Jack Shainman Gallery
- Gladstone Gallery
- Hauser & Wirth
- Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
- Harvard University
- Alain LeRoy Locke Lectures
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Nigeria
- Berlin
- Chicago
- Gwangju
- Venice
- Johannesburg
- Alabama
- Birmingham
- Charlottesville
- Bowery
- Harlem
- Soho
- 235 Bowery