The next 12 months offers a wide range of challenging and unusual exhibitions from artists such as Ruth Asawa and Rashid Johnson
By Veronica Esposito
With threats of global instability, ongoing economic uncertainty, and looming battles for America’s political heart and soul, you’ll probably need a good art exhibition more than ever in 2025. Here are a number that can offer space for rest, respite and the return of some amount of optimism in spite of what may come this year.
Erwin Pfrang: The Ghosts Ask
Strange and grotesque, and inspired by the mind of James Joyce among others, Erwin Pfrang’s work demands to be seen. Bringing to mind Francis Bacon, Pfrang’s work is grotesque, while also being undeniably psychological and compositionally complex. As the gallery puts it: “There is a sense of fragility, suffering and existential unease in his imagery which evokes feelings of disorientation and alienation.” Pfrang has been affiliated with David Nolan Gallery since 1988 – almost as long as the gallery itself has existed – and this promises to be an important show of one of the venue’s most beloved artists. 10 January-22 February, David Nolan Gallery
Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night
American-born, Berlin-based sound artist Christine Sun Kim blends elements of musical notation, infographics, written language and her native American Sign Language into her works, which span paintings, murals, performance and video. The Whitney’s first major survey of her work, exhibiting pieces dating back to 2011, looks to be energetic, irreverent, immersive, poetic and humorous. 8 February-July, Whitney Museum of American Art
María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Behold
The Cuban-born María Magdalena Campos-Pons explores issues of gender, identity and sexuality, and is considered a major figure in the island nation’s post-revolutionary art scene. The Getty’s upcoming show covers 35 years of her creative output, exploring, as the museum puts it, “global histories of labor as they affected her family through enslavement, indenture, and motherhood, emphasizing resilience and respect for her Nigerian and Chinese ancestors”. It looks to be an outstanding survey of one of the defining artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. 11 February-4 May, Getty Center
Hawai‘i Triennial 2025: Aloha Nō
With the work of nearly 50 artists and collectives, the latest installment of Hawaii’s triennial art exhibition promises to be a deep look at Hawaiian identity – in the words of the museum, “a call to know Hawai‘i as a place of rebirth, resistance and resilience”. The Honolulu Museum of Art will host work by eight of the artists, as part of a collaborative effort to showcase work all across the state in traditional and innovative venues. Ongoing for nearly three months this year, it’s a great reason to make travel plans to the Pacific islands. 15 February-4 May, Honolulu Museum of Art, plus other venues
Read the full list in The Guardian.
