Even in today's digital world, the mixtape is not dead — at least, not if the Nasher Sculpture Center has anything to say about it.
The current exhibition "Nasher Mixtape," which is on display through September 26, 2021, brings together old favorites and recent acquisitions for an experience that's totally unique. It's a compilation of "tracks," or micro-exhibitions, focused on the Nasher's permanent collection and installed throughout the museum.
Several historical works are also making their debut here — nearly one-third of the works on view inside the museum have never been shown at the Nasher, and others have not been exhibited for many years.
The newest additions to the collection — by the likes of Judy Chicago, Melvin Edwards, Maren Hassinger, and Nicole Eisenman — take important strides in the ongoing work of diversifying the collection through the inclusion of more women and artists of color, as well as celebrating the endlessly inventive approaches artists take to sculpture.
Here's a preview of what you can expect when visiting "Nasher Mixtape."
Track 1 / "Into the Garden"
The sculptures at the Nasher's entrance reference nature in their materials and themes, inviting visitors to continue into the garden, which architect Renzo Piano described as "the museum without a roof."
Track 3 / "The Ends of Minimalism"
This installation examines the legacies of Minimal art through the Nashers' support in the 1970s of artists including Siah Armajani, Martin Puryear, and Christopher Wilmarth, as well as the recent acquisition of a sculpture by Judy Chicago.
Track 5 / "Lookin' down on my soul now"
Taking its title from lyrics to Flying Lotus' song "Never Catch Me," featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar, this installation brings together a video work by lauren woods with sculptures by Joel Shapiro and Manuel Neri to reflect upon how we interpret images of historical events and human actions.
Track 9 / "Love and Delight"
At a time when the formation and sustenance of our connections with others have become more crucial than ever, "Love and Delight" offers a selection of works collected by the Nashers between 1967 and 1986 that trace unexpected links between artworks through the human bonds shared among artists, collectors, dealers, families, friends, spouses, lovers, and admirers.
Track 10 / "The Guerrilla Girls"
A selection of posters from the 1980s and 1990s by the anonymous collective targets museums, galleries, curators, collectors, writers, and artists seen as either responsible for or complicit in the exclusion of women and non-white artists from mainstream exhibitions and publications.
Nasher Mixtape is on view at the Nasher Sculpture Center through September 26, 2021.
"Love and Delight" traces unexpected links between artworks through the human bonds shared among artists, collectors, and more.
Solomon Thomas outside "MJ The Musical" at the Neil Simon Theatre.Photo by Andy Henderson
Thomas in his Broadway dressing room.Photo by Andy Henderson
