Great art is brewing in Western Queens.
Suchitra Mattai: We are nomads, we are dreamers opens at Socrates Sculpture Park on May 11. On view until Aug. 25, this solo exhibition celebrates the ocean journeys of diasporic communities with soft sculptures made from vintage saris. (Yes, saris.)
Mattai chose the park because it lies along the East River, which flows into the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. The installation pays homage to the artist’s Indo-Caribbean ancestors and the stories of many Queens residents. Related events include live performances by Barkha Dance Company, a garden party on June 12 at 6 pm, a solo and ensemble dance performance on July 18 at 7 pm.
All events are free, and registration is not required. Socrates is at 32-01 Vernon Blvd.
Reynaldo Rivera: Fistful of Love/También La Belleza opens at MoMA PS1 on May 16. On display until Sept. 9, Rivera’s first-ever solo museum shows includes 50 iconic works and never-before-seen photographs of everyday intercultural bohemia. Pieces include black-and-white and color images from 1981 to the present.
The artist’s images reveal their subjects as they desire to be seen – as stars in a film of their own making. Often made with available light (natural and artificial), the photos portray friends and rivals, lovers and paramours, cousins and confidants across the Los Angeles music scene, riotous house parties, improvised fashion editorials, and queer clubs. Some were regularly published by the alternative newspaper LA Weekly or circulated in periodicals and printed matter as headshots and on posters.
Also on view is a selection of prints not previously intended for public view: a blue series showing Rodriguez’s closest subjects in various states of undress.
Admission to MoMA PS1, which is at 22-25 Jackson Ave., is free for New York City residents.
Bios
Mattai, who was born in Guyana in 1973, received two degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and won a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship. Her past projects include group exhibitions at the MCA Chicago, Crystal Bridges Museum, the Sharjah Biennial, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Tampa Museum of Art, the MCA Denver, and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. She’s had solo shows at the Boise Museum of Art and Kavi Gupta Gallery.
Born in Mexico in 1964, Rivera grew up in Mexicali, Guanajuato, Stockton, and Pasadena before settling in Los Angeles. Working predominantly in black and white, the self-taught photographer’s approach to image-making is informed by the drama and emotion of boleros and rancheras, the glamor of Old Hollywood, and the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.
His recent solo exhibits have been organized by Reena Spaulings Fine Art, Los Angeles and New York (2023, 2021). He has participated in group exhibitions at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2023), the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Atlanta (2023), and the Princeton University Art Museum (2022).
Bonus
Shattered: A Visual Journey Through the Mind, which explores the complexities of mental health through artistic expression, already opened at Culture Lab LIC (5-25 46th Ave.). It displays until June 2. (Check for viewing hours.)
Top image: Socrates Sculpture Park/Muchitra Mattai;
bottom image: MoMA PS1/Reynaldo Rivera