Art Top 5: December 2021

Installation view, “Bani Abidi: The Man Who Talked Until He Disappeared,” MCA Chicago, September 4–June 5, 2022/Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago

1
Bani Abidi: The Man Who Talked Until He Disappeared
(Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago)
A spare but strong survey of photographs, video, prints and installation work, exhibiting dark humor and tenderness, hinting at the absurdity of bureaucracy and nationalism.
Through June 5, 2022

2
Young, Gifted and Black: The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art 
(Gallery 400)
A traveling group exhibition that features a thrilling array of work by contemporary Black artists, exploring topics from identity to abstraction, remaking art history in the process.
Through December 11

3
Views From Somewhere: Sara Greenberger Rafferty
(Document)
Using wit and a keen sense of composition, Rafferty creates image-based works that mine the history of photography to make sense of the digital world.
Through December 18

4
Rachel Harrison: Assorted Varieties
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
For Harrison’s first gallery exhibition in Chicago, she unveils four new sculptures, as well as wall-mounted works, that take both art history and pop culture as inspiration.
Through January 8, 2022

5
Ray Johnson c/o 
(Art Institute of Chicago)
A selection of collaborative mail art projects and collage work that attempts to assess the artistic contributions of an enigmatic artist.
Opens November 26