Inheritance

June 28, 2023–Feb 4, 2024

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Life/Death

1

As the sole ways in and out of life, birth and death might be the only truly universal human experiences. Despite that universality, or perhaps because of it, they are fraught—scrutinized, policed, politicized, and feared, but also romanticized and idolized. The interdisciplinary selection of works in this gallery looks at these two poles of existence, and some of what falls in between, in order to examine inheritance in its most commonly understood forms, the intrafamilial and the intergenerational. Together, these works present a vision of inheritance that while rooted in quotidian experiences honors the complex and specific legacies of place, politics, and era.

  • Elderly man gazing at a glowing birthday cake with candles in a dark room.
    Elderly man gazing at a glowing birthday cake with candles in a dark room.

    Kevin Jerome Everson, Ninety-Three, 2008. 16mm film, black-and-white, silent, 3 min., transferred to video. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Film, Video, and New Media Committee 2012.16. © Kevin Jerome Everson; courtesy the artist, Tribolite-Arts DAC, and Picture Palace Pictures

  • A gallery wall with a diverse collection of framed photographs, artworks, and text-based pieces in various sizes and colors, arranged in a clustered fashion above a shiny metallic silver couch on a wooden floor.
    A gallery wall with a diverse collection of framed photographs, artworks, and text-based pieces in various sizes and colors, arranged in a clustered fashion above a shiny metallic silver couch on a wooden floor.

    Sadie Barnette, Family Tree II, 2022. Thirty four inkjet prints, spray paint, collage and rhinestones on paper, and a holographic vinyl couch, overall: 195 × 204 × 34 in. (495.3 × 518.2 × 86.4 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Director's Discretionary Fund, Bill Gautreaux, the Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection, and the Jackson Family Trust 2023.45a-ii. © Sadie Barnette

  • A Black couple sit in the nude in a lush green garden; the man's hand reaches across the woman's belly.
    A Black couple sit in the nude in a lush green garden; the man's hand reaches across the woman's belly.

    Deanna Lawson, The Garden, Gemena, DR Congo, 2015. Inkjet print, 55 3/16 × 69 9/16 in. (140.2 × 176.7 cm). Edition 1/1. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Jack E. Chachkes Endowed Purchase Fund 2016.83. © Deana Lawson and Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, IL

  • Double exposure photograph shows two young children's faded images superimposed on one another, sitting on the same slide. One wears a birthday party hat.
    Double exposure photograph shows two young children's faded images superimposed on one another, sitting on the same slide. One wears a birthday party hat.

    Sophie Rivera, I am U, 1995. Gelatin silver print, 38 5/8 × 38 9/16 in. (98.1 × 97.9 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of the artist 2019.390. © Estate of Dr. Martin Hurwitz

  • An installation view of a video projection in a gallery.
    An installation view of a video projection in a gallery.

    Mary Kelly, Installation view of Antepartum, 1973. Super 8 film transferred to video, black-and-white, silent; 1:30 min. looped. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of the artist 2002.335

  • A mother and child share a moment, overlaid with "CHAPTER 1 - MOMMY" and a backdrop of twinkling lights.
    A mother and child share a moment, overlaid with "CHAPTER 1 - MOMMY" and a backdrop of twinkling lights.

    Maggie Lee, Mommy, 2012–2015. Video, color, sound, 55 min., aspect Ratio: 16:9. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Film, Video, and New Media Committee 2017.8. © Maggie Lee, courtesy Beta Pictures and Real Fine Arts

  • A vertical hanging textile with variable bands of bold and earthy colors and concentric squares at the middle
    A vertical hanging textile with variable bands of bold and earthy colors and concentric squares at the middle

    Diedrick Brackens, they spring from the embers of my mouth, 2019. Cotton yarn, overall: 64 × 48 × 1/2 in. (162.6 × 121.9 × 1.3 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Nancy and David Frej 2020.178. © Diedrick Brackens

  • A man and child lay together in colors of blue, orange, and red.
    A man and child lay together in colors of blue, orange, and red.

    Dindga McCannon, Father & Son, 1981. Linoleum cut, 11 1/2 × 18 in. (29.2 × 45.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from Stephen Dull 2022.201. © Dindga McCannon. Image courtesy the artist and Fridman Gallery

  • A photograph of a wall with a hole in it covered by a dry vine.
    A photograph of a wall with a hole in it covered by a dry vine.

    Ralston Crawford, Untitled (Tomb and Weeds), 1973. Gelatin silver print, sheet: 13 15/16 × 11 in. (35.4 × 27.9 cm) Image: 10 1/2 × 10 7/16 in. (26.7 × 26.5 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of John Crawford 2013.215. © Ralston Crawford Estate / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

  • A multi-panel video art installation displaying a fragmented image with blue tones, showing what appears to be a historical battle scene with explosions and figures, projected onto an arrangement of unevenly aligned rectangular screens, with a series of small, illuminated stands at the bottom.
    A multi-panel video art installation displaying a fragmented image with blue tones, showing what appears to be a historical battle scene with explosions and figures, projected onto an arrangement of unevenly aligned rectangular screens, with a series of small, illuminated stands at the bottom.

    Bruce and Norman Yonemoto, Environmental, 1993. Two-channel video installation, black-and-white, sound, 24:30 min., with CRT television set and screens. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Wilfred P. and Rose J. Cohen Purchase Fund 2021.103. © Bruce Yonemoto

  • A black and white photograph of a field with a smaller color image of a mother holding a child.
    A black and white photograph of a field with a smaller color image of a mother holding a child.

    Widline Cadet, Sé Sou Ou Mwen Mété Espwa m #1 (I Put All My Hopes On You #1), 2021. Archival inkjet print and inkjet print, with artist's frames, overall: 50 13/16 × 40 3/4 × 2 1/2 in. (129.1 × 103.5 × 6.4 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Avo Samuelian and Hector Manuel Gonzalez 2022.223a-b

  • A framed document on a wall next to a sunlit concrete surface with a shadow of a cross and Arabic inscriptions on a tombstone.
    A framed document on a wall next to a sunlit concrete surface with a shadow of a cross and Arabic inscriptions on a tombstone.

    Emily Jacir, Munir, 2001–2003. Chromogenic print and text panel, overall: 35 3/4 × 38 3/4 × 1 1/4 in. (90.8 × 98.4 × 3.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Painting and Sculpture Committee 2004.604a-b. © 2003 Emily Jacir

  • A person amongst different phases of the moon kneels over a group of people below connected through a line with many branches.
    A person amongst different phases of the moon kneels over a group of people below connected through a line with many branches.

    Wakeah Jhane, Grandmother’s Prayers, 2021. Gouache, watercolor, acrylic, graphite pencil and ink on found paper, sheet: 19 × 15 3/8 in. (48.3 × 39.1 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of an anonymous donor courtesy of the People’s Art Fund 2022.146

Artists

On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

On the Hour projects can contain motion and sound. To respect your accessibility settings autoplay is disabled.