With many parts of the United States hovering in different stages of reopening, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver has fortuitously been able to welcome visitors back in person with a very timely unveiling of a major retrospective of the artist Nari Ward. Entitled ‘Nari Ward: We the People’, and over a year in the making before the pandemic hit and postponed the opening for yet another three months, the exhibition brings together some of Ward’s most iconic sculptures, paintings, video and installation works from the last 25 years, exemplifying his ongoing commentary on being Black in America.
In a deft, complementary move, Ward and MCA Denver have partnered with Orange Barrel Media, IKE Smart City and the Denver Theatre District on a companion public art project for the duration of the exhibition. Curated by Diana Nawi, images of Ward’s recognisable wall drawings, which he creates by drilling shoelaces into architectural walls, now appear on digital billboards and on the screens of Orange Barrel Media’s IKE Smart City pedestrian kiosks, located around downtown Denver.
We Shall Overcome, part of Nari Ward’s new public art project across downtown Denver. Courtesy the artist; Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, and Seoul; and Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Beijing, Les Moulins, Habana, and Roma. Photography: Orange Barrel Media.
Projected for several hours on most evenings in both black and white and colour, the arresting digital works convey the urgency and political energy that is sweeping the country. From images of protest signs and the Black Power fist to textual extracts that include song lyrics like ‘Blowin’ In the Wind’ and the last words of abolitionist John Brown, who declared ‘This is a Beautiful Country’ before his execution, the public project not only facilitates interaction and engagement with art in a time of social distancing, but also enables art to be accessed more equally across the board.
‘I'm interested in the random nature of the way that viewers will encounter these images; I like that they will happen upon them,’ shares Ward, about the significance of the digital partnership. ‘I also like that the work is repositioned into a digital space where the capacity for a larger collective experience is extraordinary.’
I'm interested in the random nature of the way that viewers will encounter these images; I like that they will happen upon them
As powerful as the billboards are, the project is anchored by a new site-specific work being projected onto the Daniels and Fisher Clocktower. Lazarus Beacon, a digital adaptation of an eponymous wall-based work in the MCA Denver retrospective, is based on the 1883 sonnet ‘The New Colossus’, written by the poet and activist Emma Lazarus, that is inscribed on a bronze plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty. Ward’s iteration graphically extracts the subjects of the poem – the poor and downtrodden whom the country has promised to offer safe harbour – by selecting keywords that eerily float up the multi-storey tower for all to see.
Nari Ward, Blowin’ In The Wind. Courtesy the artist; Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, and Seoul; and Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Beijing, Les Moulins, Habana, and Roma. Photography: Orange Barrel Media.
‘This piece was inspired by the anti-immigration rhetoric coming from the current White House administration; it seems out of touch and contrary to what the US represents. I want the Clocktower light to amplify and make present the idea of welcoming others,’ Ward emphasises. ‘It is a reminder that America’s greatness comes from her promise of liberty and justice for all, no matter their circumstances.’
INFORMATION
Lazarus Beacon will be projected on Daniels & Fisher Clocktower, 16th St. & Arapahoe Street, Denver from 1 August - 30 August, 8:30pm - 10:30pm.
'Nari Ward: We the People', until 20 September, MCA Denver. mcadenver.org; nariwardstudio.com
ADDRESS
Museum of Contemporary Art Denver
1485 Delgany St
Denver, CO 80202
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the British capital this week
-
Doshi Retreat at the Vitra Campus is both a ‘first’ and a ‘last’ for the great Balkrishna DoshiDoshi Retreat opens at the Vitra campus, honouring the Indian modernist’s enduring legacy and joining the Swiss design company’s existing, fascinating collection of pavilions, displays and gardens
-
Issey Miyake’s shape-shifting A/W 2025 collection transforms the paper bag into something you can wear‘Can anything be considered a garment, as long as it’s on the body?’ says creative director Satoshi Kondo of the art-infused collection, which sees the everyday reimagined
-
Jamel Shabazz’s photographs are a love letter to Prospect ParkIn a new book, ‘Prospect Park: Photographs of a Brooklyn Oasis, 1980 to 2025’, Jamel Shabazz discovers a warmer side of human nature
-
The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles launches the seventh iteration of its highly anticipated artist biennialOne of the gallery's flagship exhibitions, Made in LA showcases the breadth and depth of the city's contemporary art scene
-
Thomas Prior’s photography captures the uncanny fragility of American lifeA new book unites two decades of the photographer’s piercing, uneasy work
-
Central Park’s revitalised Delacorte Theater gears up for a new futureEnnead Architects helmed an ambitious renovation process that has given the New York City cultural landmark a vibrant and more accessible future
-
Stephen Prina borrows from pop, classical and modern music: now MoMA pays tribute to his performance work‘Stephen Prina: A Lick and a Promise’ recalls the artist, musician, and composer’s performances, and is presented throughout MoMA. Prina tells us more
-
Curtains up, Kid Harpoon rethinks the sound of Broadway production ‘Art’He’s crafted hits with Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus; now songwriter and producer Kid Harpoon (aka Tom Hull) tells us about composing the music for the new, all-star Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza’s play ‘Art’
-
Richard Prince recontextualises archival advertisements in TexasThe artist unites his ‘Posters’ – based on ads for everything from cat pictures to nudes – at Hetzler, Marfa
-
The best Ruth Asawa exhibition is actually on the streets of San FranciscoThe artist, now the subject of a major retrospective at SFMOMA, designed many public sculptures scattered across the Bay Area – you just have to know where to look
