Rashid Johnson's 'A Poem for Deep Thinkers' at Guggenheim New York

The Guggenheim Museum in New York presents 'A Poem for Deep Thinkers', a solo exhibition by Chicago-born artist Rashid Johnson (b. 1977), curated by Naomi Beckwith, Jennifer and David Stockman, Andrea Karnes, and Faith Hunter. The show runs until January 18, 2026. Johnson's multidisciplinary practice combines archetypes, totems, graffiti on linen or black soap, lush plant installations, large heads, books, Persian rugs, tiles, family videos, and spray-painted mirrors. His work explores African-American cultural languages and the dialectic between his African heritage and American upbringing. Notable installations include 'Antoine’s Organ' (2016), a fusion of vegetation and artificial objects, and 'The Broken Five, MET Collection' (2020), a mosaic of incompatible materials featuring five figures with Shaka shields and disembodied faces referencing the 1989 Central Park Five. Video works like 'Black Orpheus' (2010) show Johnson applying shea butter, a material tied to his mother's insistence on its cultural significance. Spray-painted mirrors bear provocative phrases such as 'Stay black and Die' (2005) and 'I’m hope I‘m funny' (2008). Johnson's practice addresses existential questions with irony, often involving his family. The exhibition also includes monochrome canvases like 'Anxious red painting' (2020) and 'Bruise painting “Sodde”' (2021).