Rashid Johnson

press release: 

Hail We Now Sing Joy, on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum June 23–September 17, shows new paintings and sculptures from Chicago-born artist Rashid Johnson. The exhibition features 14 large-scale works that will fill the Museum’s entire feature exhibition space. Using his signature materials of white ceramic tile, red oak flooring, shea butter, black soap, and wax, Johnson examines themes of race, history, yearning, anxiety, and escape and investigates the relationship between art, society, and personal identity.

“Rashid Johnson’s work is on everyone’s radar right now as he tackles contemporary issues, including the complexities of living as a black American, that are especially important in today’s political and cultural climate,” said Margaret Andera, the Museum’s curator of contemporary art. “Hail We Now Sing Joy gives visitors the unique opportunity to see a significant body of work from one of the current generation’s most celebrated artists.”