Lehmann Maupin Gallery is pleased to present Nari Ward’s second solo exhibition at Lehmann Maupin titled Liberty and Orders.

Liberty and Orders picks up where we left off with Nari Ward’s 2010 exhibition LIVESupport. In 2010, Ward exhibited “Father and Sons,” a video work depicting two sons and their police officer father. The father stands as a symbol of the safeguards we have in place, but as we are aware, oftentimes these safeguards do no operate as intended. In the past year, Nari Ward went through the process of naturalization. One of the reasons being that it offered him protection. Wishing to “cover” himself, Ward became a U.S. citizen and in the process faced various questions and subjects concerning law and authority. These experiences became key influences for the works in this exhibition. Becoming a citizen for many is an emotional experience, one that is celebrated with tears of joy. For Ward, the act of making these works was cathartic in the same way tears of joy are. The exhibition explores a range of themes dealing with anxiety – such as the anxiety of being stopped by police – our relationship to the systems of authority set in place, and art with a moral key. As a whole, the exhibition explores the balance of control and freedom.