Brooklyn Museum is honoring the late Virgil Abloh with the upcoming opening of the “Figures of Speech” exhibition.
As detailed in the museum’s 2022 exhibition schedule, “Figures of Speech” (which follows the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago exhibition of the same name in 2019) stands as the “first museum survey exhibition devoted to the late artist and designer.”
The exhibition spans nearly two decades and features large-scale sculpture, videos, immersive spaces, and more. “Figures of Speech” was organized by Michael Darling, who previously served as chief curator at MCA Chicago and was reported last year to be transitioning into a co-founder role at Museum Exchange. Organizing the Brooklyn Museum presentation, meanwhile, is writer and curator Antwaun Sargent.
“Figures of Speech” is set to open July 1 and will run through Jan. 29, 2023. For additional info, including how to get tickets, hit the Brooklyn Museum site.
“We’ve been working with Virgil and his exceptional team on the Brooklyn Museum presentation of his exhibition for more than three years, and throughout we’ve had a single goal: to celebrate his explosive talent and the ways he kicked open doors for young BIPOC artists,” Anne Pasternak, Shelby White and Leon Levy Director for the Brooklyn Museum, explained.
Antwaun Sargent, a guest curator who organized the presentation, added, “During our years of collaboration, Virgil and I have sought to think about his expansive practice in new ways… The exhibition includes objects and materials from his archive that touch on the ways he blurred the boundaries of different mediums to make something entirely his own. The show also includes a new monumental sculpture, designed by the artist, that emphasizes how Virgil’s creativity made space for young people to explore their own ideas in ways that re-center art and design.”
Abloh, whose fearless creativity had an indelible impact across multiple artistic mediums, died in November at the age of 41. In a statement from Abloh’s family, it was revealed that the Off-White founder and artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear had “valiantly battled” a rare form of cancer for more than two years.
“Through it all, his work ethic, infinite curiosity, and optimism never wavered,” the statement read. “Virgil was driven by his dedication to his craft and to his mission to open doors for others and create pathways for greater equality in art and design. He often said, ‘Everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself,’ believing deeply in the power of art to inspire future generations.”
