Spanning photography, architecture, video and fashion, Aesthetica’s selection of US exhibitions open this season investigates timely themes of surveillance, unseen sites and voyeuristic city scenes.
2018 Aperture Summer Open: The Way We Live Now, Aperture Foundation, New York
Articulating a moment of rapid change, a selection of 18 photographs captures the zeitgeist of the 21st century; from meditations on culture and gender to powerful chronicles of current issues. Until 16 August
Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio
Offering visitors the opportunity to experience seven of Kusama’s (b. 1929) acclaimed Infinity Mirror Rooms – alongside a range of paintings, sculptures and performances – this show expands the boundaries of perception. Until 30 September.
Vantage Point 24: Celebrating 20 Years, ICP, New York
Looking back at 20 years of community collaboration, ICP’s exhibition features 50 works by students and alumni from its Bronx-based Youth photography programme, which offers individuals a platform for expression. Until 31 December
Gail Albert Halaban: Out My Window, Eastman Museum, New York
Addressing the theme of disconnection, Halaban’s (b. 1970) large-scale, stylised works offer a dark and cinematic sense of surveillance whilst facilitating communication between neighbours. Until 1 January.
Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington
“It’s a project to learn how to see.” Paglen’s (b. 1974) multi-disciplinary practice highlights unseen sites across the globe, including secret CIA prison sites, spy satellites and military installations designed to evade the public eye. Until 6 January
Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography, 1911-2011, Getty Center, Los Angeles
Getty Center’s show surveys fashion photography’s rich history. From Edward Steichen’s first analogue images to the rise of digital technology, it traces the genre’s trajectory into a powerful form of cultural production. Until 21 October
Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980, Museum of Modern Art, New York
The first international exhibition to celebrate the architecture of the former Yugoslavia, this show approaches Brutalist buildings and International Style skyscrapers as manifestations of idealism, addressing themes of urbanisation. Until 13 January
Todd Hido: Bright Black World, Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York
Offering a selection of enigmatic images, Bright Black World traces Hido’s (b. 1968) Northern European influences, foregrounding dark, mysterious compositions made predominately outside of the US. From 13 September
Soul of Nation, Brooklyn Museum
Subtitled Art in the Age of Black Power, this exhibition showcases African American artists as they responded to the revolutionary thought and action of a period that transformed society. From 14 September.
John Akomfrah: Signs of Empire, New Museum, New York
The first American survey of Akomfrah (b. 1957) brings together a series of video works spanning 1983-2018, offering an overview of a conceptually broad practice that interprets issues of social, economic and political unrest. Until 2 September
Credits:
1. Gail Albert Halaban, Abbott’s House, 2012.
2. Jillian Freyer, Three Women, 2018 © Jillian Freyer.
3. Infinity Mirrored Room–The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away, 2013. Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929). Wood, metal, glass mirrors, plastic, acrylic panel, rubber, LED lighting system, acrylic balls, and water; 113 1/4 x 163 1/2 x 163 1/2 in. Courtesy of David Zwirner, New York. © Yayoi Kusama.
4. © KEVIN NESTOR.
5. Gail Albert Halaban (American, b. 1970). Upper East Side, Manhattan, 1438 3rd Ave, Families Just Before Dinner, 2008. Inkjet print. © Gail Albert Halaban.
6. Trevor Paglen, Dead Satellite with Nuclear Reactor, Eastern Arizona (Cosmos 469), 2011, C-print. Smithsonian American Art Museum; Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan © 2011, Trevor Paglen. Photo by Gene Young.
7. Untitled, for Charles Jourdan, Spring 1977, negative 1977, printed later; Guy Bourdin, chromogenic print. The Estate of Guy Bourdin, courtesy Louise Alexander Gallery. Image copyright The Guy Bourdin Estate 2018, courtesy Louise Alexander Gallery.
8. Edvard Ravnikar. Revolution Square (today Republic Square), Ljubljana, Slovenia. 1960–74. View of the Square. Photo: Valentin Jeck, commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2016.
9. Todd Hido,#11797-3252, 201.
10. Still frame from Purple, 2017. Six screen film installation by John Akomfrah. © Smoking Dogs Films; Courtesy Lisson Gallery
11. “Couple Walking” (1979), by Roy DeCarava. CreditSherry DeCarava, via the DeCarava Archives
