The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

  • About
    • Mission
    • History
    • People
    • Contact
    • FAQ
  • News
    • All
    • Foundation
    • Grantees
  • Grants
    • Overview
    • Application Guidelines
      • Curatorial Research Fellowships
      • Exhibition Support
      • Multi-year Program Support
      • FAQ
    • Grantees
    • Regional Regranting
    • Special Initiatives
  • Warhol
    • Biography
    • Catalogues Raisonnés
      • Paintings, Sculptures, and Drawings
        • Owner Questionnaire
      • Prints
      • Films
    • Licensing
      • Licensing Inquiries
    • Sales
      • Andy Warhol: Social Network
    • Andy Warhol Museum
    • Stanford Photo Archive
    • Photographic Legacy Project

Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility

Institution
The Guggenheim Museum
Grant Cycle
Fall 2022
Amount
$100,000
Type of Grant
Exhibition Support
Website
www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/going-dark-the-contemporary-figure-at-the-edge-of-visibility ↗
Lorna Simpson, Double Negative, 1990–2022. Gelatin silver print, 45 × 36 inches. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. © Lorna Simpson, courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
John Edmonds, Untitled (Hood 13), 2018. Inkjet print, 50 × 33 inches. Collection of the artist. © John Edmonds. Photo: Courtesy John Edmonds Studio
Charles White, Nobody Knows My Name # 1, 1965 (detail). Wolff crayon and charcoal on illustration board, 30 × 40 inches (76.2 × 101.6 cm), composition: 29 1/2 × 39 1/2 inches. Courtesy Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York and ACA Galleries, New York. © The Charles White Archives. Photo: Courtesy Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York
Joiri Minaya, Irreducible Convergence, 2020. Inkjet print, 60 × 40 inches. Bill and Christy Gautreaux Collection, Kansas City, Missouri. © Joiri Minaya. Photo: Courtesy the artist
Stephanie Syjuco, Total Transparency Filter (Portrait of N), 2017. Inkjet print, 40 × 30 inches. Courtesy the artist; Ryan Lee Gallery, New York; Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco; and Silverlens, Manila. © Stephanie Syjuco. Photo: Courtesy the artist; Ryan Lee Gallery, New York; Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco; and Silverlens, Manila
Farah Al Qasimi, It’s Not Easy Being Seen 2, 2016. Inkjet print, 47 1/4 × 37 13/16 inches. Courtesy the artist and François Ghebaly Gallery. © Farah Al Qasimi. Photo: Courtesy the artist and François Ghebaly Gallery

Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility presents works of art that feature partially obscured or hidden figures, thus positioning them at the “edge of visibility.” In this art context, the common phrase going dark is understood as a tactic whereby artists visually conceal the body to explore a key tension in contemporary society: the desire to be seen and the desire to be hidden from sight.  

Artists in the show articulate going dark by way of formal strategies that may include literal darkening methods like shadowing; rotating the body; novel materials and printing methods; and postproduction tools that blur or brighten. Some of the most recent works that will be on view draw upon digital technology, such as the chroma-key green (or blue) screen. These works move fluidly between figuration and abstraction, and many of the artists inventively manipulate color and light to also obscure optical perception, challenging the very biology of vision. 

“Art is what you can get away with.” 

Andy Warhol

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Newsletter

Andy Warhol and Andy Warhol’s signature is a registered trademark of The Andy Warhol Foundation.
All Andy Warhol artwork © The Andy Warhol Foundation.
Website design by Wkshps

Use High-Contrast Text