Image via Complex Original
To be honest, the month of April typically doesn't have much going for it. Unless you're extremely into Easter, or a stoner eagerly anticipating 4/20, April usually isn't the first month that comes to mind when we think of our favorite time of year.
This year, however, April has redeemed itself with the amount of phenomenal art exhibitions that are happening across the globe. From Kendrick Lamar's new short film inspired by his song good kid, m.a.A.d. city, to Japanese artist Mariko Mori's giant psychedelic sculptures, this month is packed with must-see exhibitions across the globe. Whether you're in New York, Marrakech, or Paris, we've got you covered on some of the amazing works of art that are in store for you this month. Read on to see The Best Art Exhibitions of April 2015.
“Double Conscience”
Location: MOCA, 250 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles 90012
Dates: March 20 - Aug. 16, 2015
Commissioned by the Compton-born Kendrick Lamar, filmmaker Kahlil Joseph created m.A.A.d., a double-screen video installation that presents a complex, contemporary look at the rapper's hometown of Los Angeles. From shots of barbershops to marching bands, the film evokes both joy and sadness in its rich portrait of the predominantly African American neighborhoods of LA.
“Past Tomorrow”
Location: Galerie Perrotin New York, 909 Madison Ave, New York 10021
Dates: April 16 - May 23, 2015
Marking their 20th year anniversary of working together, artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset present their new solo exhibition in Galerie Perrotin's New York location. Their exhibition follows the life of a fictional character, Norman Swann, an aging, disillusioned architect whose inheritance is slowly running out. Focusing exclusively on Swann's bedroom, the exhibition presents an array of clues evoking aspects of the character's troubled life, and reflects the melancholy of growing old in “a society obsessed with youth.”
“Water Takes the Shape of its Container”
Location: Galerie Openspace, 56 Rue Alexandre Dumas, 75011 Paris
Dates: April 11 - 25, 2015
The young Israeli street artist Know Hope presents his first ever exhibition in France at Galerie Openspace, a rising hub for the urban contemporary art scene. Known for his poetic outdoor work and installations, Know Hope combines both politics with poignant themes of the common human struggle in everyday life.
“How We See”
Location: The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave, New York 10128
Dates: March 13 - Aug. 9, 2015
Artist Laurie Simmons' exhibition “How We See” takes inspiration from the “Doll Girls” subculture, a community of people who alter themselves through makeup, dress, and even plastic surgery to resemble Barbie, baby dolls, and Japanese anime characters. Presenting photographs of fashion models with alien-like features and uncanny gazes, Simmons draws parallels between the “Doll Girls” community and popular social media, in which we constantly morph and alter ourselves as we present ourselves to the world.
“Metazoa”
Location: Jonathan LeVine Gallery, 529 West 20th Street, Suite 9E, New York 10011
Dates: April 4 - May 2, 2015
Belgian street artist ROA is best known for his large-scale portrayal of animals, particularly those that have been forced to exist in urban environments. For “Metazoa,” the artist dives into the relationship between human and animal life, exploring how mankind has often contributed to the extinction of other species as well as the disruption of natural balance.
“Remember the Future”
Location: Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati, 44 E 6th St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Dates: March 20 - Aug. 30, 2015
Combining “theatre, classicism, and hallucination,” Daniel Arsham's surreal works hauntingly bend the rules of uniformity and reality. For “Remember the Future,” Arsham transports the viewer to the site of a future archaeological dig. The exhibition includes a monumental installation of aging media devices like boom boxes and telephones, meditating on the transience of technology.
“Anish Kapoor”
Location: Lisson Gallery, 52-54 Bell Street, London NW1 5DA
Dates: March 25 - May 9, 2015
Anish Kapoor is both a painter and sculptor, and his works accordingly evoke both the physicality of sculpture and the “illusory space” of painting. His aesthetic is no more apparent than in his latest exhibition at the Lisson Gallery, a series of striking resin and silicon paintings. The vivid red colors and raw, flesh-like form of the paintings allow a visceral glimpse into the experience of violence and trauma in the human body and mind.
“Cyclicscape”
Location: Sean Kelly Gallery, 475 10th Ave, New York 10018
Dates: March 21 - May 2, 2015
Japanese artist Mariko Mori is deeply inspired by the new physics theory, which posits that the universe did not start because of the Big Bang but is actually propagated by continuously repeating cycles of evolution. Drawing from this school of thought, Mori's latest exhibition consists of futuristic aluminum and stainless steel Mobius forms that evoke the eternal cycle of existence.
“Notes on Protesting”
Location: Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
Dates: March 17 - June 14, 2015
Inspired by ideas surrounding the spirit of demonstration and protest, Peter Liversidge collaborated with a group of 60 children ages 8 and 9 for four months, encouraging them to utilize the power of a collective voice. “Notes on Protesting” is a presentation of the protest songs, banners, and choreographed performance the children created expressing their views.
“Strings Attached”
Location: Steve Turner Contemporary, 6830 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles 90038
Dates: March 21 - May 2, 2015
Amsterdam-based artist Jonas Lund explores the exclusivity of the contemporary art world with a series of paintings that feature restrictive messages like “This painting may never be sold at auction” and “This painting is reserved for the Soho House Collection.” In doing so, Lund exposes the contradictory dilemma of gallerists who must both “fuel market momentum for their artists while trying to shield them from quick-profit speculation.”
“Rear Views, a Star-forming Nebula, and the Office of Foreign Propaganda”
Location: Jeu de Paume, 1 Place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris
Dates: Feb. 24 - May 17, 2015
Taryn Simon combines photography, video, and text to explore a wide range of themes in her exhibition at the Jeu de Paume in Paris, in particular hierarchies of power, the dissemination of knowledge, and the politics of representation. The exhibition includes her series called The Innocents (2002), which uses photography to explore cases of wrongful murder convictions in the U.S.
“Dissonance”
Location: Lazarides Rathbone, 11 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1HR
Dates: March 27 - April 23, 2015
Portuguese street artist Vhils explores the sense of alienation and loss of personal identity in an increasingly globalized, urbanized world. Interacting with his urban environment and using contrasting mediums like styrofoam, metal, and wood, Vhils comments on how our surroundings encroach upon our personal space and self of self.
“OFF/GRID”
Location: [David Bloch Gallery](8 bis, rue des Vieux Marrakchi, Marrakesh, Morocco)
Dates: March 27 - April 26, 2015
“OFF/GRID” encompasses the underlying tension in artist Augustine Kofie's works, which feature the juxtaposition of opposites: the collision of “the vintage and the futurist,” for example, and the deconstruction of strict grid lines into freestyle experimentation. The overall result is a fascinating look into the push and pull between past and future, and a study of the dissolution of time.
“A Major Minority”
Location: [1AM Gallery](1000 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103)
Dates: April 2 - 22, 2015
Curated by San Francisco-based artist Poesia, “A Major Minority” presents an overview of 20 contemporary urban artists. The exhibition tracks the progression of this new art form and explores how it has interacted with the public at a level unsurpassed by other art movements.
“Domestic Sculpture”
Location: Salon 94 Bowery, 243 Bowery, New York 10002
Dates: April 1 - May 2, 2015
Known for blending together a “cacophony of objects, architecture, and painting traditions,” Francesca DiMattio draws from multiple references for her latest exhibition at Salon 94. The artist subverts the traditionally feminine association with domestic objects like porcelain vases and distorts them into unfamiliar, often grotesque forms, commenting on the ever-changing nature of our modes of expression.