Amy Sherald ’04 (LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting)’s first solo show in Europe — at Hauser & Wirth in London — wraps up at the end of December. Currently considered one of the defining contemporary portraitists in the US, Sherald unveiled a suite of new paintings for the exhibition, titled Amy Sherald: The World We Make, earlier this fall. The same work will go on to show in Monaco with Hauser & Wirth in 2023.
Sherald is acclaimed for her paintings of Black Americans that have become landmarks in the grand tradition of social portraiture — a tradition has for far too long excluded the Black men, women, families, and artists whose lives have been inextricable from public and politicized narratives. As Sherald said, "Sharing these paintings in Europe is an opportunity for me to reflect on how the tradition of portraiture finds continuity as one of several lineages alive in my work."
The work of Geof Oppenheimer ’96 (General Sculptural Studies BFA) can be seen at UCCA Beijing beginning December 23, 2022 in the solo show People in Reverse. The artist, who has exhibited throughout the US and Europe, as well as in Saudi Arabia, is exhibiting for the first time in China.
Featuring new work commissioned by UCCA and Diriyah Biennale Foundation, People in Reverse will center on cast statues of three archetypal figures: a businessman, a flag bearer, and an observer, each situated within an immersive spatial context formed from walls, floor coverings, raw materials, and mass-produced projects. The work speaks to growing concerns over symbolism, figuration, and character in the modern social economy.