Think Ahead: Exhibitions

Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman

February 11, we’ll open a suite of exhibitions that includes a new body of work by Sa’dia Rehman: the river runs slows and deep and all the bones of my ancestors / have risen to the surface to knock and click like the sounds of trees in the air. The project stems from the displacement of Rehman’s family from their home village in Pakistan, and the exhibition’s distinctive title comes from a poem by Sa’dia’s sister, Bushra. The siblings have a history of collaboration in their creative efforts; for examples, Sa’dia designed the cover for Bushra’s 2018 poetry collection Marianna’s Beauty Salon and Bushra played an instrumental role in Lotah Stories, Sa’dia’s installation at the Queens Museum.

Before Rehman’s exhibition debuts at the Wex, you can enjoy Bushra’s just-released book, a queer coming-of-age novel set in the Pakistani community of Queens, NY. A rave from The New York Times notes, “Rehman evokes time and place like a poet, with descriptions both precise and lyrical, making the streets of this working-class neighborhood come alive on the page.”

Meditation Ocean on Instagram

Between showing work in the galleries and receiving production support from the Film/Video Studio, Hope Ginsburg’s relationship with the Wex goes back nearly 20 years. Our next round of exhibitions will include her most ambitious project to date: Meditation Ocean, created with a “constellation” of collaborators that includes scientists, divers, meditation practitioners, and others..

We’ve had an insider’s view of its development through the editing process, on which Ginsburg has been working with Film/Video Studio Editor Alexis McCrimmon, and we can’t wait to see this work’s gorgeous, underwater imagery projected on giant, curving screens in the galleries. But you don’t have to wait for a preview. Ginsburg has generously been sharing images and updates from Meditation Ocean on an Instagram profile dedicated to the project.

Céramica Suro

In the fall, the Wex will present solo exhibitions by two California-based sculptors: Sahar Khoury, who lives in Oakland, and Harold Mendez, who lives in Los Angeles. Separately, yet serendipitously, each has been invited to create new work in collaboration with Céramica Suro, an esteemed ceramics studio in Guadalajara, Mexico. We’re excited to join in that partnership for our upcoming shows. Here’s a recent story from Cultured about the work the studio’s doing in the art world.