From a wide-ranging exhibition of the global impact of a cultural phenomenon to a St. Louis artist’s first show in his hometown, local museums and galleries are showcasing attention-grabbing art in all its glorious forms. Here are some of our picks.
WHAT: ADAM PENDLETON: TO DIVIDE BY
WHERE: Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
WHEN: Sept. 22 to Jan. 15, 2024
“To Divide By” showcases more than 100 new works created specifically for the exhibition by Adam Pendleton, one of today’s most celebrated contemporary artists.
Pendleton’s relationship with abstraction will be shown through paintings, drawings and ceramics, as well as two of Pendleton’s acclaimed films, “What Is Your Name? Kyle Abraham: A Portrait” and “Ruby Nell Sales.”
A public Q&A with the artist will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 22, with an opening reception to follow immediately. The exhibition will remain on view through Jan. 15, 2024. Free; Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
WHAT: CURIOUS VESSELS
WHERE: High Low
WHEN: Sept. 22 through Nov. 12
St. Louis-based artist Melody Evans, who has always been attracted to vessels in its multiple meanings, expresses that fascination through her drawings and biomorphic sculptures. The central installation piece in the exhibition, “Garden Party,” uses common seeds, pods, nests and botanicals to show the beauty, complexity and fragility of the natural world. The artist uses the natural objects in her studio and dips them in a paper-infused liquid clay called slip. She then hangs them to dry and fires them in a kiln, resulting in a fragile clay cast to be glazed and brought into new life.
A special opening reception takes place Friday, Sept. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m., and an Artist Talk on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 10:30 a.m. Free; High Low
WHAT: THE CULTURE: HIP HOP AND CONTEMPORARY ART IN THE 21ST CENTURY
WHERE: Saint Louis Art Museum
WHEN: Through Jan. 1, 2024
“The Culture” commemorates the 50th anniversary of a movement that has significantly impacted contemporary art and culture around the world.
Co-organized by the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art, the exhibit has approximately 130 objects on view, bringing together poetry, music videos, fashion, painting, sculpture, photography and film by some of the most innovative cultural producers of the last 20 years. The exhibit is divided into six sections – language, brand, adornment, tribute, ascension and pose – that explore hip-hop’s sweeping influence, with one-third of the featured artists having a connection to either St. Louis or Baltimore. $12 (adults), $10 (seniors and students), $6 (children 6 to 12), free for members; slam.org
WHAT: BIRTHPLACE
WHERE: Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
WHEN: Through Feb. 11, 2024
“Birthplace” is the first museum exhibition by Dominic Chambers in his hometown. The artist creates vibrant paintings that engage art historical models – such as color field painting, gestural abstraction and surrealism – to explore moments of contemplation and leisure centering on Black experience.
Bringing together a series of new large-scale paintings and sculpture, Chambers recalls the spaces which facilitated his inner awakening as an artist and nurtured his imagination. Classrooms, playgrounds, libraries and basketball courts are all represented within the exhibit, each holding significant meaning to the artist’s origin story. Free; camstl.org
Five Decades of Hip-Hop Converge in Saint Louis Art Museum’s ‘The Culture’
