MAM Associate Curator Diana Nawi will lead a guided tour of “Rashid Johnson: Message to Our Folks” on the exhibition’s opening day! New York–based artist Rashid Johnson’s first major solo exhibition explores the complexities and contradictions of black identity in a practice that is rooted in his individual experience. Incorporating commonplace objects from his childhood in a process he describes as “hijacking the domestic,” the artist transforms everyday materials such as wood, mirrors, tiles, rugs, CB radios, shea butter and plants into conceptually-loaded and visually-compelling works. Free in conjunction with DDA DWNTWN Art Days.

Image: Rashid Johnson, “Jonathan with Eyes Closed,” 1999. Toned silver gelatin print. 21 ½ x 27 ½ in. Artist’s proof. Collection of Paul and Dedrea Gray, Chicago.