Rubell Museum DC to Present Two New Exhibitions Opening Nov. 2nd
Singular Views: 25 Artists
Alexandre Diop: Jooba Jubba, l’Art du Defi, the Art of Challenge
Washington, DC – October 2, 2023 – The Rubell Museum DC announced today that it will open two new exhibitions as part of a museum-wide reinstallation on November 2nd. Singular Views: 25 Artists highlights the work of 25 contemporary artists from across the U.S. and around the world through solo presentations. Opening concurrently is Alexandre Diop: Jooba Jubba, l’Art du Defi, the Art of Challenge, featuring work created by the artist during his 2022 residency at the Rubell Museum. Both exhibitions are on view through October 2024.
Singular Views: 25 Artists is drawn entirely from the Rubells’ unparalleled and ever-growing collection of contemporary art of more than 7,700 works. Encompassing over 120 artworks across media. Singular Views comprises solo presentations by:
Kathryn Andrews / Patricia Ayres / Amoako Boafo / Emmanuel Louisnord Desir / Jenny Holzer / Matthew Day Jackson / February James / William Kentridge / Murjoni Merriweather / John Miller / Jesse Mockrin / Simphiwe Ndzube / Raymond Pettibon / Paul Pfeiffer / Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe / Rozeal / Jennifer Rubell / Clayton Schiff / Sylvia Snowden / Tomoaki Suzuki / Hank Willis Thomas / Mickalene Thomas / Tesfaye Urgessa / John Waters / Cajsa von Zeipel / Allison Zuckerman
Alexandre Diop: Jooba Jubba, l’Art du Defi, the Art of Challenge highlights Franco-Senegalese Vienna-based artist Alexandre Diop, whose practice explores the legacies of colonialism and diaspora while tackling universal themes of ancestry, suffering, and historical violence. The presentation includes works created over the course of his Knight Foundation-supported residency and is accompanied by a catalogue featuring an essay by scholar Mara Niang and a conversation between Diop and Hans Ulrich Obrist, alongside a selection of color photographs.
Singular Views and Alexandre Diop encompass the second installation at the Rubell Museum DC, which opened last fall in the 1906 building of the former Randall Junior High School in Southwest DC. The two exhibitions extend throughout the museum’s 32,000 square feet, which preserves the original layout of the historic school, with classrooms, teacher’s offices, the auditorium, and foyers transformed into galleries, thereby reinforcing the role of artists as teachers and storytellers. The exhibitions have been conceived to promote public dialogue and serve as a space for audiences to engage with the work of leading contemporary artists, and coincide with the release of a comprehensive, 288-page hardcover catalogue of the Rubells’ collection titled Collection Highlights and Artist Writings.
“In selecting works for this museum-wide installation, our goal continues to be to both showcase artists whose work engages with the most pressing ideas and issues of today and to introduce artists that audiences may not have previously encountered within the DC cultural landscape,” said Mera Rubell. “We now make the choice to display each artist’s work as a focused solo exhibition to highlight their individual perspectives and allow audiences to understand the full extent of the artist’s practice.”