The New Museum is set to host the largest-ever survey exhibition of the works of filmmaker and multimedia artist Arthur Jafa, titled 'I Am Tony'. This September, the museum will showcase Jafa's nearly four-decade career, featuring iconic pieces such as 'Love is the Message, The Message is Death' and 'The White Album'. The exhibition, curated by Massimiliano Gioni, Gary Carrion-Murayari, and Calvin Wang, will run from September 24, 2024, to January 4, 2027. Jafa's work, which interrogates 'Black being', is a powerful exploration of Black visual culture and popular music, with a particular focus on the dialogue between Jafa and Black popular music.
Jafa's work is a powerful commentary on the social construct of whiteness, as seen in 'The White Album', which earned him a Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Biennale. The film is a critique of the social construct of whiteness, and it is a powerful exploration of the complexities of race and identity. The exhibition will also feature some of Jafa's most iconic works, including 'Love is the Message, The Message is Death', a video montage set to Kanye West's 'Ultralight Beam' that assembles archival and contemporary elements of Black visual culture.
The exhibition's title, 'I Am Tony', is a reference to the late jazz drummer Tony Williams, who coined an irregular, open style of jazz drumming as a member of the Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s. This builds upon Jafa's dialogue with Black popular music in his pulsating films. Jafa's work is a powerful exploration of the complexities of race and identity, and it is a powerful commentary on the social construct of whiteness.
Jafa's work is a powerful exploration of the complexities of race and identity, and it is a powerful commentary on the social construct of whiteness. The exhibition will be a powerful exploration of Jafa's work, and it will be a powerful commentary on the complexities of race and identity. The exhibition will be a powerful exploration of Jafa's work, and it will be a powerful commentary on the complexities of race and identity.
The exhibition will be a powerful exploration of Jafa's work, and it will be a powerful commentary on the complexities of race and identity. The exhibition will be a powerful exploration of Jafa's work, and it will be a powerful commentary on the complexities of race and identity. The exhibition will be a powerful exploration of Jafa's work, and it will be a powerful commentary on the complexities of race and identity.
