Pope.L: Choir
Oct 10, 2019–Mar 8, 2020
For almost four decades, Pope.L (b. 1955) has challenged us to confront some of the most pressing questions about American society as well as about the very nature of art. Best known for enacting arduous and provocative interventions in public spaces, Pope.L addresses issues and themes ranging from language to gender, race, social struggle, and community. His boundary-breaking practice ranges from performance to painting, installation, video, sculpture, and theater. Pope.L: Instigation, Aspiration, Perspiration is a trio of complementary exhibitions organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and Public Art Fund. Utilizing both public and private spaces, the expansive presentation will address many elements of the artist’s oeuvre from singular early works, to a monumental new installation, and a new large-scale performative work inspired by the artist’s iconic crawl series on the streets of New York City.
At the Whitney, the artist will create a new installation entitled Choir. Expanding on Pope.L’s ongoing exploration and use of water, Choir is inspired by the fountain, the public arena, and John Cage’s conception of music and sound. The Whitney presentation is organized by Christopher Y. Lew, Nancy and Fred Poses Curator, with Ambika Trasi, curatorial assistant. The audio design for Pope.L: Choir is by Matthew Sage, in collaboration with the artist. Pope.L is the recipient of the Bucksbaum Award for his contribution to the 2017 Biennial.
The MoMA presentation will focus on thirteen early landmark performances from 1978–2001 that helped define Pope.L's career and are representative of the artist’s core concerns. The exhibition will explore the performances through a combination of archival videos, photographs, ephemera, sculptural elements, and live actions. The MoMA presentation is organized by Stuart Comer, Chief Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art, with Danielle A. Jackson, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Media and Performance Art.
Inspired by his decades-long crawl series, Pope.L will unveil a new publicly-activated crawl on the streets of New York City with Public Art Fund. In dozens of previous iterations, the artist has dragged his own body across the urban landscape, most notably with his Times Square Crawl (1978), Tompkins Square Crawl (1991), and The Great White Way, 22 Miles, 9 Years, 1 Street (2001–2009). For this new commission, titled Conquest, he will engage members of the public to explore the potential and power of collective action for his largest and most ambitious crawl to date. This public performance is organized by Public Art Fund Director and Chief Curator Nicholas Baume, with Public Art Fund Assistant Curator Katerina Stathopoulou.
Pope.L: Choir is sponsored by
Major support is provided by the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation.
Significant support is provided by The Keith Haring Foundation Exhibition Fund.
Artist
Essay
Something from Nothing: On Pope.L’s Choir and Other Waters
By Christopher Y. Lew, Nancy and Fred Poses Curator
Installation Photography
Pope.L, Choir, 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Thousand-gallon plastic water-storage tank, water, drinking fountain, copper pipes, solenoid valves, pumps, MIDI controllers, electronic timer module, level-detection probe, flow meters, programmable logic controller, wood, scrim, vinyl letters, microphones, speakers, wires, and sound. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Choir, 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Thousand-gallon plastic water-storage tank, water, drinking fountain, copper pipes, solenoid valves, pumps, MIDI controllers, electronic timer module, level-detection probe, flow meters, programmable logic controller, wood, scrim, vinyl letters, microphones, speakers, wires, and sound. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Choir, 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Thousand-gallon plastic water-storage tank, water, drinking fountain, copper pipes, solenoid valves, pumps, MIDI controllers, electronic timer module, level-detection probe, flow meters, programmable logic controller, wood, scrim, vinyl letters, microphones, speakers, wires, and sound. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Choir, 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Thousand-gallon plastic water-storage tank, water, drinking fountain, copper pipes, solenoid valves, pumps, MIDI controllers, electronic timer module, level-detection probe, flow meters, programmable logic controller, wood, scrim, vinyl letters, microphones, speakers, wires, and sound. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Choir, 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Thousand-gallon plastic water-storage tank, water, drinking fountain, copper pipes, solenoid valves, pumps, MIDI controllers, electronic timer module, level-detection probe, flow meters, programmable logic controller, wood, scrim, vinyl letters, microphones, speakers, wires, and sound. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Choir, 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Thousand-gallon plastic water-storage tank, water, drinking fountain, copper pipes, solenoid valves, pumps, MIDI controllers, electronic timer module, level-detection probe, flow meters, programmable logic controller, wood, scrim, vinyl letters, microphones, speakers, wires, and sound. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Choir, 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Thousand-gallon plastic water-storage tank, water, drinking fountain, copper pipes, solenoid valves, pumps, MIDI controllers, electronic timer module, level-detection probe, flow meters, programmable logic controller, wood, scrim, vinyl letters, microphones, speakers, wires, and sound. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Choir, 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Thousand-gallon plastic water-storage tank, water, drinking fountain, copper pipes, solenoid valves, pumps, MIDI controllers, electronic timer module, level-detection probe, flow meters, programmable logic controller, wood, scrim, vinyl letters, microphones, speakers, wires, and sound. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Choir, 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Thousand-gallon plastic water-storage tank, water, drinking fountain, copper pipes, solenoid valves, pumps, MIDI controllers, electronic timer module, level-detection probe, flow meters, programmable logic controller, wood, scrim, vinyl letters, microphones, speakers, wires, and sound. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Choir, 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Thousand-gallon plastic water-storage tank, water, drinking fountain, copper pipes, solenoid valves, pumps, MIDI controllers, electronic timer module, level-detection probe, flow meters, programmable logic controller, wood, scrim, vinyl letters, microphones, speakers, wires, and sound. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Well (Whitney version), 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Wood, glass, water. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Well (Whitney version), 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Wood, glass, water. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Well (Whitney version), 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Wood, glass, water. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Well (Whitney version), 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Wood, glass, water. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Well (Whitney version), 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Wood, glass, water. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Well (Whitney version), 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Wood, glass, water. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Well (Whitney version), 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Wood, glass, water. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Well (Whitney version), 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Wood, glass, water. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Well (Whitney version), 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Wood, glass, water. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Pope.L, Well (Whitney version), 2019 (installation view, Pope.L: Choir, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 10, 2019–February 2020). Wood, glass, water. Collection of the artist; courtesy Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York. © Pope.L. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
In the News
“Bringing together Pope.L’s archive and his new obsessions, these three venues will offer observers a wealth of opportunities to be frustrated and thrilled by the artist’s race and class provocations.” —Artforum
“For an artist as expansive as Pope.L—who puts race, gender, social imbalance, and societal absurdity in raucous play in sculptures, videos, paintings, and performances—one venue won’t do.” —ArtNews
“Pope. L: Instigation, Aspiration, Perspiration [...] is a sampler of work, old and new, by an influential Conceptualist who once billed himself as “The Friendliest Black Artist in America” and is still one of the sharpest social satirists in the business.” —The New York Times
“This fall, Pope.L “retrospects and re-prospects” a tripartite creative surge.” —Cultured
“This trifecta of performances and exhibitions places the work of Mr. Pope.L, a provocateur who’s long worked in the margins of New York’s civic spaces, at the nerve center of the art world.” —The New York Times
“We are lucky to have Pope.L as this season’s headliner of the Whitney and the MoMA, because his work thrives in the maddening swirl of contradictions that is our reality.” —The Art Newspaper
"The Chicago-based artist Pope.L is having a New York City moment." —WNYC
"Pope.L Has Never Been More Urgent." —Frieze
"It’s mesmerizing to sit before a specific amount of water, and contemplate the ways we use, exploit, and waste this most important of resources on a regular basis. This is the experience of witnessing Choir (2019)." —The Brooklyn Rail