Unraveling Wangechi Mutu’s “Intertwined” at the Whitney Museum from 2023
Recently, I was reflecting on Wangechi Mutu’s “Intertwined” which took place between March to June 2023 at the Whitney Museum. The exhibition brought together over one hundred works from across her twenty-five-year career. In cumulative form, her works form a rich tapestry of themes that resonate deeply with the human experience. Through intricate collages, sculptures, and installations, Mutu explores feminism, race, colonialism, identity, and environmental concerns with profound depth and complexity.
Central to Mutu’s artistry is her use of diverse materials, particularly evident in her sculptures. From ethereal forms crafted from delicate textiles to imposing figures forged from found objects, Mutu’s sculptures captivate with their materiality. Each piece tells a story of resilience and transformation, as raw materials are repurposed and imbued with new meaning. This material interplay serves as a metaphor for the interconnectedness of human experience, highlighting the ways in which disparate elements come together to form a unified whole.
Mutu’s art challenges conventional notions of beauty and power, particularly through her celebration of the female form and her reimagining of cultural symbols. Empowering her subjects to transcend societal limitations, she invites viewers to reconsider their perceptions of self and other. Additionally, Mutu prompts reflection on humanity’s relationship with the natural world, highlighting interconnectedness and the responsibility to steward the earth. “Intertwined” serves as both a call to action and a testament to the transformative power of art, urging us to confront the complexities of our existence and to imagine new possibilities for the future.
Imagery by: Blair Prentice (iheartmyart)
- ARYZ, CRIANÇA, Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi, Barcelona, Spain 2023
- ARYZ, EL AUXILIO, Conservatorium aan Zee, Oostende, Belgium 2020
- ARYZ, LA PUGNA, Saint-Éloi Temple, Rouen, France 2019
Juan Francisco Elso: Por América Exhibition at El Museo del Barrio
Juan Francisco Elso: Por América investigates the brief yet significant career of the late Cuban artist Juan Francisco Elso (1956-1988). Based in Havana, Elso was part of the first generation of artists born and educated in post-revolutionary Cuba, who gained international recognition in the early 1980’s. Created mostly using natural, organic materials, his sculptural practice examines the complex forms of contemporary Cuban, Caribbean, and Latin American identities, as inflected by the cultural influences of Indigenous traditions, Afro-Caribbean religious beliefs, as well as the traumas of colonial oppression.
Juan Francisco Elso: Por América was exhibited at El Museo del Barrio in New York City from October 27, 2022 – March 26, 2023
Photographs by Blair Prentice
