The Word: Language as Material
April 11- May 24, 2025
Opening Reception:
April 11, 5:00-7:00PM Free
It is sometimes said that language makes the world. This idea, that the world was spoken into existence, appears in multiple creation myths. Language describes and proscribes who we are, where and how we live. The artists in this exhibition use language as raw material, bringing this seemingly intangible form to physical life. In the exhibition The Word: Language as Material, multimedia artists Yto Barrada, Bettina, William Camargo, Lizania Cruz, Arnold J. Kemp and Elodie Pong shape language into sculpture, photography, video and print. Their work proclaims, questions and challenges, bringing an embodied presence to the words that shape our lives.
Yto Barrada (b. 1971, Paris, FR). Barrada’s work has been exhibited at Tate Modern (London, UK), MoMA (New York, NY), The Renaissance Society (Chicago, IL), Witte de With (Rotterdam, NL), Haus der Kunst (Munich, DE), Centre Pompidou (Paris, FR), Whitechapel Gallery (London, UK), and the 2007 and 2011 Venice Biennale (Venice, IT). She will represent France at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
Bettina (b. 1927, Brooklyn, NY, d. 2021, New York, NY). Bettina’s work has been exhibited at MoMA (New York, NY), Hessel Museum (Annandale-on Hudson, NY), LMCC Art Center, Governor’s Island (New York, NY), Ulrik NYC (New York, NY), Sfeir-Semmler Gallery (Hamburg, DE) and MoMA PS1 (New York, NY). Bettina and her work have been the subject of multiple films and her work has been featured in Hyperallergic, Artforum, ARTNews, The New York Times, Vulture, and Paris Internationale. Aperture published a monograph of her work in 2022.
William Camargo (b. 1989, Anaheim, CA). Camargo’s work has been exhibited at The Center for Photography Woodstock (Kingston, NY), The Cheech Center for Chicano Art (Riverside, CA), Hessel Museum of Art (Annandale-on Hudson, NY), Self Help Graphics (Los Angeles, CA), and the Peggy Phelps Gallery (Claremont, CA), among other venues. His work has been featured in The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, C4 Journal, Bomb Magazine and Aperture Magazine.
Lizania Cruz (b. 1983, Santo Domingo, DR). Cruz’s work has been exhibited at El Museo Del Barrio (New York, NY), The Aldrich Museum (Ridgefield, CT), CUE Art Foundation (New York, NY), A. I. R. Gallery (New York, NY), Fikra Design Biennale (Sharjah, UAE), The Highline (New York, NY), Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts (Omaha, NE) and more. Her work has been featured in Hyperallergic, KQED, Dazed Magazine, Garage Magazine, and The New York Times.
Arnold J. Kemp (b. 1968, Boston, MA). Kemp’s writings have been featured in October, Callaloo, and Text Zur Kunst. His work has been exhibited at Martos Gallery (New York, NY), HilgerBROT Kunsthalle (Vienna, AT), BALTIC Center for Contemporary Art (Gateshead, UK), Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR), and Biquini Wax EPS (Mexico City, MX). His work has been featured in The New York Times, ARTNews, Hyperallergic and Artforum.
Elodie Pong (b. 1966, Boston, MA). Pong’s films and installations have been exhibited at Manif d’Art (Quebec, CA), Migros Museum (Zurich, CH), Galerie Polaris (Paris, FR), Albertina Museum (Vienna, AT), Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Moscow, RU), Villa Stuck (Munich, DE) and the Athens Biennial (Athens, GR). Her work has been featured in MOUSSE Magazine, ArtDaily and e-flux.