Editor’s Pick
“Writing functions not only as language, but also as a visual and even tactile form. Famed artist and educator Josef Albers imparted this idea to his students at Black Mountain College, a former liberal arts school in North Carolina, where artist Ray Johnson studied from 1945 to 1948. In an exercise called “typofacture,” Albers asked students in his design course to create drawings mimicking printed or handwritten text. After observing textures on surfaces — like speckles on a wall or patterns in a raked garden path — they applied the concept to printed text, which bears the imprint of its production, whether by hand or machine. This activity left a lasting impression on Johnson, a future collage and correspondence artist, whose works (like Paul Klee’s) frequently combine text and representations.”
-Andrew Berardini
About the Exhibition
Klee’s merging of myth, symbol, figuration, and expression resonated with many at Black Mountain College and shaped Johnson’s approach. In a 1947 letter to a peer, Johnson enclosed an image of Klee’s Actor’s Mask (1924) with the postscript, “I send a Klee with cracks.” His admiration deepened into a recurring influence, visible in his expressive line work and iconic motifs like arrows and spirals. Whereas Klee’s imagery builds dreamlike worlds, Johnson’s marks accumulate like field notes across a creative terrain.
Rave into the Future offers a space of joyful connection and community through a blend of music- and dance-inspired video, sculpture, photography, and room-sized immersive installations by women and queer artists from the West Asian diaspora.
In recent years, Asian artists, DJs, and communities have been at the heart of a resurgence of electronic music-based dance parties across the globe. Meanwhile, music from West Asia has experienced a surge in worldwide popularity, connecting new audiences with the ongoing dialogue between tradition and innovation in the region’s diverse musical genres. Rave into the Future fills the Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Pavilion with empowering energy and inspiring sounds; in addition to performances and DJ events, this group exhibition includes an in-gallery dancefloor where all are welcome.
Rave into the Future features work by ten artists of West Asian heritage currently based in Europe and the United States, including Morehshin Allahyari, Sophia al Maria, Fatima Al Qadiri, Farah Al Qasimi, Meriem Bennani, Yasmine Nasser Diaz, Sahar Khoury, :mentalKLINIK, Joe Namy, and Maryam Yousif. “Exploring the DIY ethic as a form of resistance,” says exhibition curator Naz Cuguoglu, assistant curator of art and programs at the Asian Art Museum, “these artists highlight the power of music and dance to create spaces — whether at a public event, or in the solitude of one’s bedroom — where we feel safe to dream of future possibilities. Collectively, their work invites visitors to experience contemporary rave culture as a force for healing, unity, and cultural expression.”