Pope.L's Major Retrospective at MoMA and New Installations Explore Language, Race, and Performance
Pope.L, often referred to as 'The friendliest black artist in America©', is the subject of a retrospective titled 'Member: Pope.L 1978–2001' at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, running from 21 October 2019 to January 2020, which showcases significant performances. Simultaneously, his installation 'Choir' is on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art from 10 October 2019 until Winter 2020. On 21 September 2019, he executed a performance named 'Conquest' with the participation of 140 volunteers throughout Manhattan. His diverse body of work examines themes of race, power, and language, including notable pieces like a text drawing from 2004 and the 'Skin Set' series. He has been teaching at the University of Chicago and performing in public venues since 1978, including 'The Great White Way' (2001–09).
Key facts
- Pope.L's retrospective 'Member: Pope.L 1978–2001' is at MoMA, New York, from 21 October 2019 to January 2020.
- A new installation 'Choir' is at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, from 10 October 2019 to Winter 2020.
- The performance 'Conquest' occurred in New York on 21 September 2019 with 140 volunteers.
- Pope.L's original title for the MoMA show was 'How Much Is That Nigger In The Window', which the museum questioned.
- His 'Skin Set' series (1997–2011) features provocative racial statements.
- He performed crawls in public spaces, including 'Times Square Crawl' (1978) and 'The Great White Way' project (2001–09).
- His work 'Whispering Campaign' (2017) was installed in Kassel and Athens for Documenta 14.
- He teaches writing and performance at the University of Chicago.
Entities
Artists
- Pope.L
- William Pope.L
- Joseph Kosuth
- Ishmael Reed
- Toni Morrison
- John Cage
- Kendrick Lamar
- Socrates
- Donald Rumsfeld
Institutions
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Public Art Fund
- University of Chicago
- Documenta
- Mitchell-Innes & Nash
- ArtReview
- bomb magazine
- Black Entertainment Television (BET)
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Kassel
- Germany
- Athens
- Greece
- Harlem
- Times Square
- Tompkins Square
- Broadway
- Manhattan
- Chicago
- West Africa