In the latest exhibition, ‘The Writing’s on the Wall: Language and Silence in the Visual Arts,’ curator Hilton Als explores the intricate relationships between communication, language, and silence through a diverse array of works by renowned artists.
Hilton Als is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, critic, and curator known for his sharp, deeply contextual explorations of art and culture. His current show, ‘The Writing’s on the Wall: Language and Silence in the Visual Arts,’ at the Hill Art Foundation in New York, is an exemplary demonstration of this expertise.
Hilton Als is an American art critic, biographer, and playwright.
He was born in 1960 in New York City.
Als is a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine and has written extensively on art, culture, and politics.
In 2006, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for his work as a theater critic.
Als' writing often explores the intersection of 'art and social justice', and he has been praised for his nuanced and insightful critiques.
Silence and its Antithesis
The group exhibition, which runs through March 29, features sculpture, photographs, printed zines, and video installations that consider the relationships between communication and language. Works by Ina Archer, Vija Celmins, Sarah Charlesworth, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Ellen Gallagher, Joel Gibb, Paul P., Rachel Harrison, G.B. Jones, Jennie C. Jones, Sherrie Levine, Judy Linn, Agnes Martin, Claes Oldenburg, Ronny Quevedo, Umar Rashid, David Salle, Rudolf Stingel, Cy Twombly, Steve Wolfe, and Christopher Wool are on display.
Silence and its antithesis are key elements in ‘The Writing’s on the Wall.‘ The exhibition showcases silence, erasure, blank spaces, as well as crammed worlds like James Joyce‘s stream-of-consciousness writing. For example, Cy Twombly‘s scribbles of Greek and Roman texts often feature only splotches of color and blurred lettering, while Christopher Wool‘s stenciled text in bold black shouts out.
Silence is the absence of sound, but it can also be a powerful tool for communication and self-reflection.
Research suggests that silence can improve cognitive function, boost creativity, and even reduce stress levels.
In many cultures, silence is considered a sign of respect, contemplation, or spiritual growth.
For example, in Buddhist tradition, silent meditation is used to cultivate mindfulness and inner peace.
In everyday life, taking time for silence can help individuals recharge, refocus, and approach problems with clarity.
Queer Identity and the Art World
Als‘ curation is not just about exploring the relationships between communication and language; it’s also about making statements about being Black and queer in today’s world. He refers to James Baldwin‘s bust in the show as ‘the great unifying queer presence‘ and notes that Baldwin was a huge inspiration for many gay people and people of all sorts.
Queer identity refers to a person's sexual orientation or gender identity that does not conform to traditional societal norms.
This term encompasses a broad range of identities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and non-binary individuals.
According to a 2020 survey by the Human Rights Campaign, over 20% of millennials identify as LGBTQ+.
The concept of queer identity has been evolving since the 1960s, with activists advocating for greater acceptance and inclusivity.
Key statistics show that 71% of Americans support LGBTQ+ rights, indicating a growing shift in societal attitudes.
Als also highlights the work of Ronny Quevedo, an out gay man whose work explores cultural differences and the beauty in high style. He contrasts this with Cy Twombly‘s use of metaphor to explore relationships and sexuality without making explicit statements about his own queerness.
The Language of Perception
In his essay, ‘The Poetics of Silence,’ Als addresses the issue of connoisseurship and how the art world is largely one of taste, class, and what is acceptable and considered important. He had to negotiate this culture when he studied art history at Columbia in the early 1980s.
Als notes that prior to discovering academic scholarship concerned with the relationship between historical experience, artifacts produced, and perceptions as a scholar in the present, he had no language to come to terms with museum images. He had to learn how to perceive, especially in a world absent of Black queerness, devoid of context.
A Lens for Broadening Perception
Als‘ curation offers an important lens for broadening our perception and embracing the space between what is current, past, taught, experienced, and even what we thought we understood. His exhibitions give us the opportunity to perceive those in-between, often out-of-reach places that society hides behind.
As Als himself said, ‘enjoy the show.‘
- observer.com | Curator Hilton Als and the Language of Silence
