Willie Cole
American, born 1955
Ann Klein with a Baby in Transit, 2009
Shoes, wire, washers, screws
Gift of funds from the Brenden Mann Foundation 2009.57
©Willie Cole

World Beats: Global Contemporary Art

Saturday, August 27, 2011—Sunday, July 15, 2012
Gallery 276
Free Exhibition

Post-colonial hybrid, cultural masquerade, outsider art, ultra-baroque, post-minimalist, global realism, drag art--these are just some of the terms that have been ascribed to the artworks in this exhibition. Likewise, the names of their makers reflect their rich diversity: Subodh Gupta, Ahmed Alsoudani, Yue Minjun, Cy Thao, Yasumasa Morimura, Willie Cole, Kehinde Wiley, Nick Cave. The pervasive connective tissue is a contemporary global viewpoint held in balance by references to distinctly individual, ethnic, and cultural roots--the complex relationship between the global and the local. Whether joyful or provocative, threatening or cynical, these works suggest a hopeful search for cross-cultural connections, universal meanings, mutual respect, and understanding.