Whitney Museum

Jason Moran

20 Sep 2019 - 05 Jan 2020

Jason Moran, Slugs’ Saloon, 2018. Mixed media, sound, 120 x 168 x 171 in. (304.8 x 426.7 x 434.34 cm). Collection of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; T. B. Walker Acquisition Fund, 2018. © Jason Moran; Courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York. Photograph by Farzad Owrang
Stan Douglas, Luanda-Kinshasa, 2013. Single-channel video projection, color, sound; 6 hours 1 min (loop) © Stan Douglas; Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner, New York
Lorna Simpson, Chess, 2013 (still). 3-channel HD video, black and white, sound, looped; 10:19 min. Edition of 3, with 1 AP © Lorna Simpson; Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Glenn Ligon, Death of Tom, 2008, 16 mm black and white film/video transfer. © Glenn Ligon; Image courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York, Regen Projects, Los Angeles, and Thomas Dane Gallery, London
Jason Moran, STAGED: Three Deuces, 2015 © Jason Moran; Courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York. Photograph by Farzad Owrang
Jason Moran, STAGED: Savoy Ballroom 1, 2015, Photo: Farzad Owrang © Jason Moran; Courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York.
The boundary-bursting artist Jason Moran (b. 1975) grounds his practice in the composition of jazz, bridging the visual and performing arts through spellbinding stagecraft. Heralded as one of the country’s leading jazz innovators, Moran transmutes his personal experience of the world into dynamic musical compositions that challenge the formal conventions of the medium. His experimental approach to art-making embraces the intersection of objects and sound, pushing beyond the traditional in ways that are inherently theatrical.

This exhibition—the artist’s first solo museum show—presents the range of work Moran has explored, from his own sculptures and drawings to collaborations with visual artists to performances. Among the many artists with whom Moran has collaborated are Joan Jonas, Kara Walker, Lorna Simpson, Glenn Ligon, Stan Douglas, Carrie Mae Weems, Adam Pendleton, Theaster Gates, Julie Mehretu, Ryan Trecartin, and Lizzie Fitch. Originating in Minneapolis at the Walker Art Center in the spring of 2018, the show has traveled to the ICA Boston and the Wexner Center before its final stop at the Whitney. This grand finale in Moran's hometown of New York City will feature many performances by renowned jazz musicians and new live adaptations of works made with his most significant artistic collaborators.

Jason Moran is organized by the Walker Art Center, and curated by Adrienne Edwards with Danielle A. Jackson. The Whitney’s presentation is overseen by Adrienne Edwards, the Engell Speyer Family Curator and Curator of Performance, with Clémence White, curatorial assistant.
 

Tags: Stan Douglas, Lizzie Fitch, Theaster Gates, Joan Jonas, Glenn Ligon, Julie Mehretu, Jason Moran, Adam Pendleton, Lorna Simpson, Ryan Trecartin, Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems