At a glance
Testing the limits of how the raw energy and rhythm of Black music can be translated into a visual language across forty years of imagery.
Meet the artist
Why go
This is Arthur Jafa's most expansive museum survey to date, utilizing two full floors of the New Museum’s newly enlarged space to showcase the breadth of his influential media-based practice.
You'll see
Moving-image works · Found-image montages · Large-scale sculpture · Archival installations
Pace of visit
Allow extra time for several long-form screenings and a high volume of archival material spread across two floors.
Artlovers Tip
Given the high concentration of video works and the emotional weight of the material, avoid planning another major museum visit immediately after this one.
Inside the exhibition
I Am Tony — Arthur Jafa at the New Museum in Manhattan, New York, presents a comprehensive look at one of the most significant voices in contemporary American art. The exhibition centers on Jafa's lifelong investigation into Black visual culture, questioning how the structural power and emotional depth of Black music might find a parallel in film, photography, and objects.
Spanning nearly four decades, the survey brings together a massive array of moving-image works, found-image montages, and sculpture. The presentation takes full advantage of the museum's expanded footprint, filling two floors with archive-driven installations that trace Jafa's evolution from a cinematographer to a leading figure in media theory and contemporary art.
This exhibition matters as the definitive account of Jafa's career so far, offering the space required to fully experience his screen-heavy and often demanding output. By placing his better-known video works alongside lesser-seen photography and sculptural experiments, the New Museum provides a rare opportunity to see the full scope of his formal and political concerns in a single context.
Worth travelling for?
An essential, high-density survey for anyone interested in the intersection of cinema, media theory, and the contemporary Black experience.
I Am Tony — Arthur Jafa
Artlovers relevance
Plan your visit
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