Claiming the Narrative

Main Gallery
February 4–May 22, 2022
Layqa Nuna Yawar, WNY

Layqa Nuna Yawar, WNY, 2020, oil on canvas, 60 x 36 inches. Courtesy of the artist

Claiming the Narrative is a group exhibition that raises the questions, “Whose story gets told on museum walls?” and “Who tells the story?” Centering subjects who have been marginalized, ignored, exoticized, or even erased from Western Art History, the 11 artists in this show challenge assumptions about historical narratives, “classical” portraiture, and the power of the gaze. Collectively, they seek a more authentic representation of contemporary life by broadening and diversifying the possibilities of figurative art. Artists include: Tyler Ballon, Santiago Galeas, Alex Gardner, Todd Gray, Shona McAndrew, Arcmanoro Niles, Ron Norsworthy, Ransome, Mickalene Thomas, Philemona Williamson, and Layqa Nuna Yawar.