South African powerhouse gallery Stevenson is presenting a new show, Glenn Ligon's 'Untitled (Bruise/Blues)' with reference to police brutality in both the U.S. and South Africa. The installation, opening on March 17, in Johannesburg comprises of suspended letters spelling out the words ‘bruise’ and ‘blues’ blinking on and off.
As part of the work it is composer Steve Reich’s seminal 1966 recording entitled Come Out that plays in the space. There is also in conjunction the voice of Daniel Hamm (one of the Harlem Six – a group of black youths beaten and wrongfully arrested during the 1964 Harlem Riot) playing on a loop. At the time of this violence two strong voices opposed the treatment – political leader Malcolm X and social critic and writer James Baldwin. Ligon continues to reference these two gentlemen in his work.
'When Daniel Hamm, whose testimony Reich takes, says, "I had to open the bruise up to let some of the bruise blood come out" to show them that he had been injured, he [Hamm] actually makes a slip of the tongue', says Ligon. 'He says, ‘I had to open the bruise up to let the blues blood come out to show them.’ And I was interested in that slip between bruise and blues,' Ligon continues.
Ligon, his third show with Stevenson, showed similar work at the central exhibition of the 2015 Venice Biennale, 'All the World’s Futures', curated by Okwui Enwezor. His work is represented in many public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Tate Modern, London, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
The installation, opening on March 17, comprises suspended letters spelling out the words ‘bruise’ and ‘blues’ blinking on and off
As part of the work, composer Steve Reich’s seminal 1966 recording entitled 'Come Out' plays in the space, alongside the voice of Daniel Hamm (one of the Harlem Six – a group of black youths beaten and wrongfully arrested during the 1964 Harlem Riot) plays on loop
INFORMATION
'Untitled (Bruise/Blues)' runs until 15 April 2016 at Stevenson Gallery, Johannesburg. For more information, visit the website
Photography courtesy the artist and Stevenson Gallery
ADDRESS
62 Juta Street, Braamfontein 2001
Postnet Suite 281, Private Bag x9
Melville 2109
-
The bespoke Jaguar E-Type GTO melds elements from every era of the classic sports carECD Automotive Design’s one-off commission caters to a client who wanted to combine the greatest hits of Jaguar’s E-Type along with modern conveniences and more power
-
Casa Sanlorenzo debuts in Venice as a new hub for contemporary artThe luxury yachting leader unveils a stunning new space in a palazzo restored by Piero Lissoni – where art, innovation, and sustainability come together
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being rebonr as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Remembering Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroonian curator due to lead the 2026 Venice BiennaleKouoh, who died this week aged 57, was passionate about the furtherance of African art and artists, and also contributed to international shows, being named the first African woman to curate the Venice Biennale
-
Zanele Muholi celebrates South Africa’s Black LGBTI communities in LA and LondonZanele Muholi's portraits and sculptures are currently on show at Southern Guild Los Angeles and the Tate Modern, London
-
Esther Mahlangu’s first retrospective features the iconic BMW 525i Art CarEsther Mahlangu showcases ‘Then I knew I was good at painting’ at the Iziko Museums of South Africa in Cape Town
-
Now Gallery presents the vibrant culture of ‘A Young South Africa’ captured through the lensNow Gallery’s ‘A Young South Africa, Human Stories’ showcases six inspiring photographers for the 2023
-
Remote Antarctica research base now houses a striking new art installationIn Antarctica, Kyiv-based architecture studio Balbek Bureau has unveiled ‘Home. Memories’, a poignant art installation at the remote, penguin-inhabited Vernadsky Research Base
-
Ryoji Ikeda and Grönlund-Nisunen saturate Berlin gallery in sound, vision and visceral sensationAt Esther Schipper gallery Berlin, artists Ryoji Ikeda and Grönlund-Nisunen draw on the elemental forces of sound and light in a meditative and disorienting joint exhibition
-
Cecilia Vicuña’s ‘Brain Forest Quipu’ wins Best Art Installation in the 2023 Wallpaper* Design AwardsBrain Forest Quipu, Cecilia Vicuña's Hyundai Commission at Tate Modern, has been crowned 'Best Art Installation' in the 2023 Wallpaper* Design Awards
-
Michael Heizer’s Nevada ‘City’: the land art masterpiece that took 50 years to conceiveMichael Heizer’s City in the Nevada Desert (1972-2022) has been awarded ‘Best eighth wonder’ in the 2023 Wallpaper* design awards. We explore how this staggering example of land art came to be
