What Art Speaks To These Times

Floor 3, Theater

What does it mean to be an artist in this political moment? An Incomplete History of Protest: Selections from the Whitney’s Collection, 1940–2017 examines how artists have confronted the political and social issues of their day. This panel brings together four artists in the exhibition to speak about their individual aesthetic approaches to the political urgencies of our present moment. Speakers include artists Ja’Tovia Gary, Daniel Joseph Martinez, Julie Mehretu, and Dread Scott. Rujeko Hockley, Assistant Curator, moderates the discussion.

Panelists

Ja’Tovia M. Gary (b. 1984, Dallas, TX) is an artist and filmmaker currently living and working in Brooklyn, New York.

Daniel Joseph Martinez (b. 1957, Los Angeles, CA) uses text, image, sculpture, video, and site-specific street performance, to investigate challenging issues about America’s social architecture, democracy, capitalism, and the relationship between personal and collective identity.

Julie Mehretu (b. 1970, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) draws on the 21st-century city for inspiration, transferring its energy into her gestural sweeps of paint and built-up marks in ink and pencil—often transposed from projections—and condensing seemingly infinite urban narratives, architectural views, and street plans into single unified compositions.

Dread Scott (b. 1965, Chicago, IL) makes revolutionary art to propel history forward.  

This event has reached ticketing capacity but will be livestreamed on Facebook.

This event will have ASL interpretation.

The Hess Theater is equipped with an induction loop and infrared assistive listening system. Accessible seating is available. If you have questions about accessibility, or requests for accommodations, please email accessfeedback@whitney.org or call (212) 671-1823 (relay calls welcome). Learn more about access services.