CARDIGAN by LOEWE, WINGS by DAUAN JACARI
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CARDIGAN by LOEWE, WINGS by DAUAN JACARI
On the walls of his studio, relics of past works intermingle with ideas-in-progress and reminders for the future. A print of his performance Late October (2020) at Galleria Continua, on the outskirts of Paris, hangs above a leather sofa; to its right are an assortment of pinned-up sketches, notes, and images. A floor to ceiling mirror across the room lists Greenberg’s 2024 exhibitions and performances written in dry erase marker; the stacked calendar includes the Venice Biennale in Italy and the Yokohama Triennale in Japan, as well as a solo show at Buro Stedelijk in the Netherlands.
FULL LOOK by LOEWE
Greenberg can approximately be described as a performance artist, though as he explains to me later in our conversation, he finds the term “artist” alone more accurate. His work can also be understood as a form of sculpture, shaping moments and scenes with human bodies in site-specific durational works that often stretch across hours and hours. Born in Montreal and raised by his mother, who was an actress in a Russian absurdist theater troupe in his early life, Greenberg was exposed to a wide range of art and artists from a young age. At 17, he dropped out of school and began experimenting with different forms of performance; by 20, he was invited to study with prolific Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović. Now 26, he has completed residencies and shows at prestigious institutions all over the world, including Palais de Tokyo in Paris, France and the Watermill Center in New York. Last year, he was invited to stage and record his work Étude Pour Sébastien (2023) at the Louvre.
One oft-discussed element of Greenberg’s practice is the rigorous physical training and diet required to condition his body for the strain of durational works, and the particularly strict physical regimen that he undergoes as a ritual in the two weeks before a performance. Given the supernatural themes of office Issue 21, I ask if he has any corresponding spiritual rituals for preparation ahead of performance. A grin spreads across his face. “I do, but I don't want to tell you about it.” I ask him if he believes in ghosts (he does, though he declines to say more) or the afterlife (he passes on that question.)
“What about God?”
when i speak to myself i use the kindest language i can summon, i am allowed the same grace i give others
and once i gave myself permission i was radiant
During the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, London-based gallery Unit London presented In Praise of Black Errantry. The show comprises 19 modern and contemporary Afro-diasporic artists, including the likes of post-modern pioneers and New York City natives Jean-Michel Basquiat and Romare Bearden, alongside post-post-modern artists such as Rachel Jones, Hilda Kortei, and Jonathan Lyndon Chase. Based on French philosopher and writer Eduard Glissant's definition of errantry, "a mode of freedom and resistance, evoking a spiritual or purposeful wandering beyond national borders," the show celebrates the boundless Black imagination in contemporary art.
In Praise of Black Errantry will be displayed from 17 April–29 June 2024.
Curated by art historian Indie A. Choudhury, the exhibition offers an expansive interpretation of errantry: "Errantry opens up alternative ways of thinking and perceiving, affording creative disorder and the reordering of narratives, histories, and temporalities. All roots (routes) lead to the imaginary." Errantry, as shown by the artists in the exhibition, is the unbridled ability to dream and create without the constraints of nationhood, predefined borders, or colonial inheritance.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Samo I and Samo II (1981)
Never is errantry more apparent than through the works of Basquiat and Romare Bearden, two New York artists at the center of In Praise of Black Errantry. Basquiat's work uses movement and broken imagery to create his errantry, rejecting the typical Western perception of what constitutes 'good art' and making his distinct visual language. His two works on display, Samo I and Samo II (1981), show fragmented images, a monstrous figure, and an explosion on a flat, dark background.
Romare Bearden, Seance (1984-86)
Bearden mirrors Basquiat in his use of fragmentation, using collages and bold colors to portray movement, music, and displacement themes. In Seance (1984-86), Bearden employs a blend of watercolor and gouache, resulting in rapid drying that gives rise to several figures distorted into monstrosity by their fluid interaction with colors; though not fully formed, their presence remains distinctly palpable. Bearden creates no divide between the figure and movement, blurring the lines between classical figuration and abstraction.
Rachel Jones, !!!!! (2024)
The influence of Basquiat and Beadern can be seen throughout the exhibit, as fragmentation, movement, and color are employed to explore post-postmodern errantry. In Rachel Jones's painting !!!!! (2024), bright, rich, abstract color islands float across the canvas, reminiscent of the ever-moving watercolor of Bearden. The artwork is unstretched, and the bottom is uneven, emphasizing its imperfection and materiality. As the title suggests, the painting is pure, intense emotion conveyed by the unbridled joy of her color and movement.
Hilda Kortei, Demur (2023)
Similarly, the painting Demur (2023) by Hilda Kortei uses a mixture of mediums, oil, acrylic, and charcoal, on fragmented collaged canvas to create a sculptural and layered painting. It defies the traditional conception of how a painting should be constructed and instead utilizes its flaws to create a multilayered cacophony of movement. While the hesitant title Demur is at odds with the excitement of Jones's !!!!!, both works employ similar techniques to build errantry. Neither work is static; each feels like it is ever evolving, a sentiment shared by all works in the exhibition.
In Praise of Black Errantry is a striking and unique exhibit. Within the larger context of the Biennale, whose theme this year was "Foreigners Are Everywhere," Unit London takes the opportunity to celebrate the non-conformity and limitless creativity of Afro-diasporic artists. By foregrounding the voices of marginalized communities and embracing the ethos of errantry, the exhibition transcends the limitations of cultural persistence and political containment. As curator Choudhury describes, the artists in the exhibition "take up errantry as a radical strategy that defies boundaries and advocates for spontaneity and experimentation beyond cultural fixity or political containment."