Art Top 5: December 2019

Jeffrey Gibson: CAN YOU FEEL IT (installation view), 2019, Kavi Gupta | Elizabeth St. Courtesy of the Artist and Kavi Gupta/Photo: John Lusis

1
CAN YOU FEEL IT
(Kavi Gupta)
The MacArthur fellow (and SAIC alum) wows with colorful, maximalist abstractions—in the form of paintings, quilts and sculptural punching bags—all of which weave in the artists’ Native American and punk rock heritage.
Through December 14

2
Bread, Butter, and Power
(Smart Museum)
Meleko Mokgosi’s richly detailed large-scale painting cycle depicts gendered divisions of labor and a feminism specific to southern Africa.
Through December 15

3
The Petty Biennial.2
(Glass Curtain Gallery)
Sixteen artists—working in painting, performance and other forms—join in this exhibition to challenge hegemonic “biennial culture” by placing marginalized and queer communities at the center.
Through February 14

4
In The Absence of Light: Gesture, Humor and Resistance in the Black Aesthetic
(Stony Island Arts Bank)
 Works by heavyweights Glenn Ligon and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye are among the offerings of this twenty-strong exhibition, all of which reflect the experience of working as contemporary black artists.
Through December 29

5
Tatiana Bilbao Estudio: Unraveling Modern Living
(Graham Foundation)
A Mexico City-based architecture firm turns the historic Madlener House into a utopian commons, activated by community events scheduled throughout the show’s run.
Through January 11