Nari Ward: We the People

Nari Ward: We the People February 13–May 26, 2019 Second, Third, and Fourth floors

The first New York museum survey by Nari Ward (b. 1963, St. Andrew, Jamaica) will bring together works spanning Ward’s 25-year career. Featuring over 30 sculptures, paintings, videos, and large-scale installations, the exhibition will highlight his status as one of the most influential sculptors working today. Since the early 1990s, Ward has produced his works by accumulating and repurposing humble materials. His approach evokes creative acts of recycling and folk traditions from Jamaica, where he was born, as well as the material textures of Harlem, where he has lived and worked for many years. This presentation will highlight the continued importance of New York, particularly Harlem, to the material and thematic content of Ward’s art, and will showcase many of Ward’s most iconic sculptures alongside works that have not been seen in New York since they were originally created. The exhibition will demonstrate Ward’s status as a key bridge between generations of American sculptors and a vital advocate for art’s capacity to address today’s most urgent issues.

This exhibition is curated by Gary Carrion-Murayari, Kraus Family Curator; Massimiliano Gioni, Edlis Neeson Artistic Director; and Helga Christoffersen, Associate Curator.