Gary Simmons is an American artist whose work reflects on the themes of race, history and memory. His latest exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago showcases more than three decades of his multi-layered artworks, from paintings and sculptures to installations and videos.
Simmons is best known for his signature technique of smearing and erasing chalk on blackboards, creating ghostly images that evoke a sense of loss and nostalgia. He often draws from pop culture references, such as cartoons, movies, music and sports, to address the issues of racial stereotypes, social injustice and cultural erasure.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is a series of large-scale paintings that depict abandoned drive-in movie theaters in rural America. Simmons uses oil paint and cold wax to create textured surfaces that resemble old film screens. He then projects images of horror movies, westerns and blaxploitation films onto the paintings, creating a contrast between the cinematic fantasies and the realities of the places where they were shown.
Another notable work is a monumental installation that recreates a boxing ring with ropes made of fire hoses. The piece is inspired by the 1967 heavyweight championship fight between Muhammad Ali and Ernie Terrell in Houston, Texas, where Ali famously taunted his opponent by asking “What’s my name?” after Terrell refused to call him by his Muslim name. Simmons uses the fire hoses as a symbol of both oppression and resistance, referencing the civil rights movement and the Black Lives Matter protests.
The exhibition also features a selection of Simmons’ sculptures, drawings, prints and photographs, as well as a new video work that explores his personal history and artistic influences. The video is projected onto a wall covered with wallpaper that Simmons designed using images from his family albums and vintage magazines.
Simmons said in a statement that his work is “about trying to find a balance between what is seen and what is unseen, what is known and what is unknown, what is remembered and what is forgotten.” He added that he hopes his exhibition will “spark conversations about how we view ourselves and others in relation to our shared histories.”
The exhibition, titled “Gary Simmons: Ghost Notes,” runs from October 2, 2022 to March 26, 2023 at the MCA Chicago. It is curated by Naomi Beckwith, the museum’s former senior curator who is now the chief curator of the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
