rashid johnson: deep thinking at the guggenheim
RASHID JOHNSON: A POEM FOR DEEP THINKERS
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Ave. at 89th St.
Through January 18, free with museum admission of $19-$30 unless otherwise noted
www.guggenheim.org
www.instagram.com/rashidjohnson
Standing firmly outside the Guggenheim Museum is Rashid Johnson’s large 2008 sculpture Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, a kind of gun scope targeting Frank Lloyd Wright’s classic spiral building, which has been displaying modern and contemporary art since October 21, 1959. It is an exemplary introduction to the striking show “Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers,” which feels like an exhilarating intervention by the Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist.
“This exhibition continues the conversation I’ve always been invested in: one that allows for freedom of expression and an awareness of artistic possibilities,” Johnson explained in a statement. “I’ve always embraced the fluidity between mediums. For me, medium specificity has never been the goal — it’s about how the project can move freely between different forms, creating space for a broader conversation that goes beyond the limitations of any one medium.”
There are more than ninety works on view creating numerous critical conversations, including painting, sculpture, drawing, video, collage, photography, and installation, drawn from such series as “The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club,” “Cosmic Slop” (named after the 1973 album by George Clinton and Funkadelic), and “Anxious Men.” Among the materials Johnson uses are metal, wood, black soap, wax, ceramic tiles, mirrors, oystershells, spray enamel, felt, books, plastic wrap, embroidered cloth, Persian and zebra-hide rugs, shea butter, space rocks, vinyl records, and incense.
Be on the lookout for Untitled Anxious Audience, Death Is Golden, The Reader, bLAX, Homage to Chinua Achebe IV (Fela Kuti “Zombie”), Watching “The End of Blackness,” The Sweet Fly Paper, the new untitled mosaic on the first floor, and Sanguine, an immersive multimedia installation that will grow over the course of the exhibition.
Below is the full schedule of programming through the summer, highlighted by live piano presentations within Sanguine and teen poetry on the Rotunda Stage. Everything is free with museum admission unless otherwise noted.
Sunday, June 8
Sanguine Piano: Joel Wendhardt, 1:00
Monday, June 9
Rotunda Stage: MS 95: Daemond Arrindell + teen poets, 4:00
Monday - Friday
Curious about the Building tour, 2:00
Tuesday, June 10
Museum Mile Festival, with free indoor and outdoor activities, 6:00-9:00
Friday, June 13
Sanguine Piano: Holly Bean, 4:00
Saturday, June 14
Rotunda Stage: MS 95: Andy Powell + Alondra Uribe, 1:00
Sunday, June 15
Sanguine Piano, 1:00
Monday, June 16
Rotunda Stage: Teen poets with Kim Wilkins, 4:00
Thursday, June 19
Late Shift, with Rad(ical) Poetry Consortium, 5:30-8:00
Friday, June 20
Sanguine Piano, 4:00
Saturday, June 21
Rotunda Stage: Andrée Greene + Sergio Jimenez, 1:00
Sunday, June 22
Sanguine Piano: Liya Girgoryan, 1:00
Monday, June 23
Rotunda Stage: Teen poets with Fariha Chowdhury, 4:00
Tuesday, June 24
Teens Tuesdays, free with advance RSVP, 4:00
Wednesday, June 25
Stroller Tours, $45 for one adult and one baby, 11:00 am
Friday, June 27
Sanguine Piano: Dabin Ryu, 4:00
Saturday, June 28
Rotunda Stage: Berry + Alanna Taveras, 1:00
Sunday, June 29
Sanguine Piano, 1:00
Sketching the Spiral — Painting and Drawing the Guggenheim’s Architecture: People and Buildings, with Gavin Snider, $95, 1:00 - 4:30
Monday, June 30
Rotunda Stage: Teen poets with Ellen Hagan & David Flores, 4:00
Rashid Johnson, Triptych “Nowhere Man,” oil on linen, 2020-24 (collection of the artist / photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Tuesday, July 1
The Soft Geometry of Being: An Evening with Ayoung Kim, $15-25, 6:30
Friday, July 4, 11, 18, 25
Sanguine Piano, 4:00
Saturday, July 5, 12, 19, 26
Rotunda Stage, 1:00
Sunday, July 6, 13, 20, 27
Sanguine Piano, 1:00
Monday, July 7, 14, 21, 28
Rotunda Stage: Teen poets, 4:00
Monday, July 7
through
Friday, July 11
Guggenheim Art Camp: Explore Art and Architecture, $550-$650, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Monday, July 14
through
Friday, July 18
Guggenheim Art Camp: Discover the World of Sculpture, $550-$650, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday, July 17
Late Shift, 5:30-8:00
Monday, July 21
through
Friday, July 25
Guggenheim Art Camp: Art of Performance, $550-$650, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Tuesday, July 22
Teens Tuesdays, free with advance RSVP, 4:00
Monday, July 28
through
Friday, August 1
Guggenheim Art Camp: Symbols and Stories in Art, $550-$650, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Friday, August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Sanguine Piano, 4:00
Saturday, August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Rotunda Stage: Teen poets, 1:00
Sunday, August 3, 10, 17, 24
Sanguine Piano, 1:00
Monday, August 4, 11, 18, 25
Rotunda Stage: Teen poets, 4:00
Thursday, August 21
Late Shift, 5:30-8:00
Tuesday, August 26
Teens Tuesdays, free with advance RSVP, 4:00
Thursday, September 8
Late Shift, 5:30-8:00
[You can follow Mark Rifkin and This Week in New York every day here.]