Natalie Haddad

4 days ago | hyperallergic.com | Natalie Haddad |Hakim Bishara |Lakshmi Rivera Amin |Monica Uszerowicz

Artist’s voices aren’t always easy to listen to. Sometimes it’s because they’re speaking to uncomfortable realities that shape our societies and lives. In other cases, the art may be part of that uncomfortable reality, reflecting rather than critiquing harmful perspectives. The solo exhibitions below all represent artists with strong individual visions and voices, some more problematic than enlightening, but all thought provoking.

1 week ago | hyperallergic.com | Natalie Haddad

The Brant Foundation’s Glenn Ligon isn’t a deep dive into the artist’s career, but it is a concise overview that does something rare: it gives the art space to connect with the viewer. The show’s eight works, all drawn from the Brant’s collection, are spread across four stories, two of which are dedicated to one installation each. Almost like a “greatest hits,” it includes stenciled text paintings, neon signs, and one video installation.

2 weeks ago | hyperallergic.com | Natalie Haddad |John Yau |Taliesin Thomas |Monica Uszerowicz

At a moment when it’s crucial to connect the dots of history to see how we can change the future for the better, it’s heartening to know that artists are doing the work. Through linguistic systems and pop cultural references, Renée Green and Jim Shaw uncover the ways that United States history is manipulated to veil systemic and government abuses. Meanwhile, a show at Brooklyn’s Amant looks at the failings and potential of education in the US.

2 weeks ago | hyperallergic.com | Natalie Haddad

Jim Shaw seems to thrive on esoteric references and unlikely juxtapositions. In the 1990s, he began his ongoing Dream Drawings series and his Oism project, reflecting his long interest in world-building. With Drawings at Gagosian — a selection of meticulous black and white pencil drawings, plus two color works, dating from 2012 to 2025 — he continues to combine dreams, surrealism, and anachronous iconography into a distinctive visual language.

3 weeks ago | hyperallergic.com | Natalie Haddad |Lisa Zhang |Jasmine Weber |Alexis Clements |Daniel Larkin

“He taught me how to see, and how to trust what I saw. Painters have often taught writers how to see. And once you’ve had that experience, you see differently.” That’s writer James Baldwin reflecting in an 1984 interview on his late mentor Beauford Delaney, the queer Black painter who introduced the young writer to New York City and opened up for him a new way to see the world.