The first solo institutional exhibition of the work of Senga Nengudi outside the United States is coming to The Fruitmarket Gallery.
Originally organised by the Henry Moore Institute, the exhibition brings together pioneering sculpture, photography and documentation of performance from 1969 to the present, including recreations of work not seen since the 1970s and a major new installation.
Born in Chicago in 1943, Senga Nengudi has been a trailblazer in sculpture for fifty years. A vital figure in the avant-garde scenes of Los Angeles and New York in the 1960s and 1970s, her work is characterised by a persistently radical experimentation with material and form.
There is also a run of events taking place at the gallery in April :
How we… run a peer-led programme
Tue 2 Apr, 6–7pm. Free. Book via Eventbrite
For the next in our series of informal talks join Caitlin McKinnon, Fruitmarket Creative Learning Curator, and members of Fresh Fruit, our peer-led group for young adults aged 16–25, to hear about our approach to programming with audiences taking the lead.
In Focus: R.S.V.P. Sculptures
Tue 2 Apr, 7–8.30pm. Pizza at 7.30pm. Free. Book via Eventbrite
Join Fresh Fruit for an informal discussion about Nengudi’s R.S.V.P sculptures. Made from nylon tights stretched and tethered to the wall, they originally invited interaction and were activated by performance. The discussion considers the works in the context of the body and identity.
Open Book Workshops
Wed 3 Apr, 10.30am–12.30pm. Free. Book via Eventbrite
Read and discuss passages of fiction and poetry thematically linked to the gallery’s exhibitions and events, then try your hand at creative writing in response. These sessions will be led by the poet JL Williams.
Maybe I want to hang in the air like smoke, thick and waiting to be moved
Sun 7 Apr, 6–7.30pm. Free. Book via Eventbrite
In this participatory event, fashion scholar Sequoia Barnes and artist, poet and dancer Christopher Kirubi invite you to join them in creating bodily responses to Nengudi’s work, and a curated soundscape of music and words.
Gavin Osborn: Flickering Presences
Thu 11 Apr, 7.30–9.30pm. Free. Book via Eventbrite
Osborn presents his touring concert of newly-commissioned works for flute, projection and digital sound, where the visuals also form the score for the musician. Creators Nina Whiteman, Kelly Jayne Jones, Elizabeth Ditmanson, Rachel Graff and Sarah Keirle explore themes including trees, crystals, looping and mines.
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