Jan 14–Apr 4, 2020

Grey Art Gallery, New York, US

Curated by Suheyla Takesh and Lynn Gumpert, the traveling survey “Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s–1980s” debuting at the Grey Art Gallery, New York University, explores the rise of Arab abstraction art with works from the collection of the Barjeel Art Foundation. Featuring close to 90 pieces of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper spanning the three decades, the group show chronicles how artists and collectives departed from figuration to move toward the emergence of new forms of symbolic simplification. Vibrantly colored paintings by Lebanese artist Etel Adnan and Moroccan artist Ahmed Cherkaoui, along with wood etchings by Egyptian artist Omar El-Nagdi are among the artworks included. 

Jan 24–Apr 12, 2020

Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Manchester, UK

Rae-Yen Song’s solo show “May-May Songuu” at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art employs recurring imageries of appetites and the sharing of food to explore the effects of communal and family ties on one’s personal identity. Song draws on their own experiences to form a unique cultural language that views the concept of self-mythology as a survival mechanism, which they then use to construct narratives concerning issues of race, gender, and culture. The show will present costumes, sculptures, growing specimens, animations, and large-scale drawings as well as a series of workshops that call for community conversation. 

Feb 7–15, 2020

Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The fifth Dhaka Art Summit, DAS 2020, returns under the directorship of Diana Campbell Betancourt with the title “Seismic Movements,” which questions the definition of movements spanning geological, geographical, political, and social shifts. Held at the Shilpakala Academy, the international platform will bring together over 500 artists, scholars, and curators across its nine-day program of exhibitions, performances, and panel discussions. A special exhibition “On Muzharul Islam: Surfacing Intention,” paying tribute to the late Bangladeshi activist and architect, will present 12 new commissions by 17 artists that respond to Islam’s architectural legacy addressing decolonial consciousness. Participating artists include painter Tanya Goel and visual artist Rana Begum, among others.

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