Rashid Johnson

Three Rooms

December 14 2014 – January 25 2015

The oeuvre by Chicago born artist Rashid Johnson (b. 1977, lives and works in New York) is abundant in references to Afro-American culture. Over the years these references have developed into a kind of individual iconography, comprising various subjects in ever changing constellations: Shea butter, African animal skins, or icons of Afro-American literature and music.
Until today, the colour black is prominent in the artist’s works; and thus the walls of the main hall will feature this colour for the first time in the history of the museum. They provide a stage for a selection of wall based works that are also dominated by the colour black, and additionally to a new installation that Johnson produced for the show in Winterthur.
To counter-argument this almost self-sufficient presence of art in the main hall, the other rooms show a selection of works that invite the visitor much more directly – and colourfully – to engage with them. Even if there are still a lot of references to Afro-American culture present in Johnson’s works, they have emancipated from their origin, without giving it up or even denying it. They have become more autonomous and together form a universe that confronts the audience sometimes in a very welcoming and candid way, but at other times behaves unapproachable, mysterious and completely sovereign.

Oliver Kielmayer