Nari Ward (St. Andrew, Jamaica, 1963; lives and works in New York) is an internationally acclaimed artist, known for his installations that combine familiar and humble materials into a layering of socio-historical references. By repurposing a wide range of found objects, each with its own unique history, his art engages with memory and transformation, opening up new possibilities. Nari Ward’s interweaving and juxtaposition of discarded elements alludes to various social and political aspects and addresses notions of identity, race, social justice, and consumer culture, creating poignant artworks that entwine both spiritual and conceptual responses. His intentional use of everyday materials, remnants of past practices, places, communities, and epochs, allows the viewer to connect directly with the works while keeping the narrative open to contemporary, urgent themes.
The retrospective at Pirelli HangarBicocca presents, for the first time, a combination of works that interweaves Ward’s exploration of performativity and collaborative projects. With a particular focus on time-based media works, including video, sound, performative sculptures, and installations, the exhibition delves into over thirty years of practice, presenting early seminal and historical works as well as new productions. The narrative unfolds through the seminal large-scale installations, originally realized by Ward between 1996 and 2000 for Ralph Lemon’s choreography Geography Trilogy, presented here in an exhibition setting for the first time since then. The three works will create a new choreography together with other sculptures, videos, installations, and the bodies of the visitors. The notion of performativity animates the exhibition itself, which will be marked by a program of live collaborative actions running throughout the show.
