Page 178 - The 60.Venice Biennial & MoMA issue of WOA Contemporary Art magazine

Inspired in part by Jean de La Fontaine’s 17th-century fables, ave
WORLD-CLASS ART that pair the artist’s freeform drawings with poetic text in both
preta mística mystical black bird consists of 61 sheets of paper

Portuguese and English. The narrative, which unfolds from one
sheet to the next, recounts the winged protagonist’s fantastical

the drawings, images vary and morph - appearing as crescent
PROJECTS: TADÁSKÍA journey toward collective growth and freedom. Across each of
moons, brilliant suns, or ambiguous, abstract shapes - as they
MOMA ANNOUNCES PROJECTS: TADÁSKÍA, OPENING IN
punctuate the poetic text. In this work, and across her wider
MAY 2024, AND ACQUISITION OF THE ARTIST’S WORK THE
practice, Tadáskía often employs an improvisational approach,
EXHIBITION, PRESENTED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE STUDIO
sometimes by closing her eyes as she begins a composition or
MUSEUM IN HARLEM, WILL BE THE ARTIST’S FIRST SOLO
by producing new work in response to a particular site. On the
PRESENTATION IN THE UNITED STATES
occasion of the exhibition, Tadáskía will draw from the themes of
ave preta mística mystical black bird to create a large-scale, site-
responsive wall drawing and sculptures in MoMA’s gallery space
over several weeks. Thelma Golden said, “There is and always
has been incredible artistry coming out of Brazil and I am thrilled
that Tadáskía, with her imaginative drawings and sculptures, will
transport this creative dynamism and ground it in a site-specific
installation for MoMA’s project space. This special collaboration
is a remarkable opportunity to champion an emerging voice in
contemporary art and furthers the Studio Museum’s commitment
to artists of African descent globally. I am endlessly grateful to
Glenn Lowry and The Museum of Modern Art for their partnership,
which for five years has ensured that the critical work at the Studio
Museum continues.”
Since 2019, MoMA and the Studio Museum have partnered on a
series of Projects exhibitions while the Studio Museum has been
closed for construction of a new facility on the site of its longtime
home on West 125th Street. Projects: Tadáskía is the fifth exhibition
in MoMA’s Projects collaboration with the Studio Museum.
Past exhibitions include Projects 110: Michael Armitage (2019),
Installation view of Projects: Tadáskía, on view at The Museum of Modern Art, Projects: Garrett Bradley (2020), Projects: Kahlil Robert Irving
New York from May 24 through October 14, 2024. Photo: Jonathan Dorado (2021), and Projects: Ming Smith (2023).

Projects: Tadáskía, on view in the Museum’s street-level galleries,
as well as the acquisition of the exhibition’s centerpiece, an Installation view of Projects: Tadáskía, on view at The Museum of Modern Art,
expansive work on paper titled ave preta mística mystical black New York from May 24 through October 14, 2024. Photo: Jonathan Dorado
bird (2022), into MoMA’s collection. Tadáskía is a multidisciplinary
artist based in Brazil who uses drawing, sculpture, and mixed
media to articulate themes of transformation and joy influenced by
her experiences as a Black trans woman. The exhibition, presented
in collaboration with the Studio Museum in Harlem, will be the
artist’s first solo presentation in the United States, and features
MoMA’s recently acquired work alongside a monumental wall
drawing and sculptures made in response to the site at MoMA.
Projects: Tadáskía is organized by Thelma Golden, Director and
Chief Curator, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and Ana Torok,
the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Assistant Curator, Department of
Drawings and Prints, MoMA, with the assistance of Kiki Teshome,
Curatorial Assistant, the Studio Museum in Harlem.

178 WORLD of ART