World-renowned jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran is also a visual artist whose fascinating work explores the interplay between objects and sound, sculpture and stagecraft. The first exhibition to present his visual art in a museum context, Jason Moran surveys the range of mediums the artist has explored—from intimate charcoal drawings to large-scale installations—while simultaneously showcasing his art world collaborations.
Moran grounds his practice in music while bridging the visual and performing arts. Known for dynamic musical compositions that challenge conventional forms, Moran has an equally experimental approach to producing his visual art, which pushes beyond the traditionally staged performance, sculpture, or drawing to amplify the ways that all are inherently theatrical.
Featured in this exhibition are Moran’s mixed-media “set” installations that pay homage to the places and processes of jazz. Several pieces evoke the architecture of music venues that were pivotal to genre’s evolution, including New York’s Savoy Ballroom and Three Deuces. And just as jazz musicians come together to engage in a collective process of improvisation—another aspect of the “set”—Moran partners with other visual artists to create video-based installations. You’ll encounter his collaborations with Theaster Gates, Glenn Ligon, Julie Mehretu, Adam Pendleton, Lorna Simpson, Kara Walker, and Carrie Mae Weems, among other celebrated figures.
In-gallery musical performances will activate the installations during the run of the exhibition. The Ogún Meji Duo, featuring Wexner Center Artist Residency Award recipient Mark Lomax II on percussion and Edwin Bayard on tenor saxophone, plays during the May 31 opening preview. See local legends Tommy Jay’s Latest Freak Show perform in the galleries on July 18 and Saintseneca on August 8.
"The staging is spectacular…Moran’s exhibition is not just a walk through his artistic career—it is also a dynamic walk through American history."
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About the Artist
Jason Moran
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Program Support
Jason Moran is organized by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and is made possible with generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the William and Nadine McGuire Commissioning Fund. Additional support was provided by Mike and Elizabeth Sweeney. Piano by Steinway & Sons. The exhibition was curated by Adrienne Edwards, former Walker Art Center Curator at Large, Visual Arts, with Danielle Jackson, former Mellon Interdisciplinary Fellow, Visual Arts.
The Wexner Center’s presentation is overseen by Senior Curator of Exhibitions Michael Goodson and Director of Exhibitions Management Megan Cavanaugh and supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
SUPPORT FOR JASON MORAN AT THE WEXNER CENTER
National Endowment for the Arts
SUPPORT FOR ARTS ACCESS AT THE WEXNER CENTER
Cardinal Health Foundation
Huntington Bank
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT FOR THE WEXNER CENTER
Greater Columbus Arts Council
Ohio Arts Council
The Columbus Foundation
Nationwide Foundation
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Jason Moran