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Hessel Museum of Art, 2023

The exhibition brings together artworks from the Marieluise Hessel Collection that explore human responses to the intricate contours of containment.

Subtly expanding past the confines of its rectangular edges, a monochrome by Robert Ryman gains new context juxtaposed with more recent works, such as a portrait by Lise Sarfati that captures how a viewer’s discerning gaze might close in on its subject’s vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, the bodily movements shown in works by artists like VALIE EXPORT track forms of resistance against the societal containers that mold and press upon our lives.

Rather than provoking mere claustrophobia, the exhibition seeks to consider a spectrum of socio-psychological reactions to boundaries of enclosure.

Curated by Zuhra Amini, Hayoung Chung, Javier Villanueva, Micaela Vindman, and Charlotte Youkilis.

Artists featured include VALIE EXPORT, Vlatka Horvat, Bruce Nauman, Sondra Perry, Robert Ryman, Lise Sarfati, Kiki Smith, and Rosemarie Trockel.