November 6, 2015–March 27, 2016
New York 10128
USA
Participating artists:
Margit Anna, Austė, Clayton Bailey, Brian Belott, Meriem Bennani, Adolfo Bernal, Dineo Seshee Bopape, Michael Buthe, Tony Cox, Olga de Amaral, Brian DeGraw, Marie-Louise Ekman, Brenda Fajardo, Christina Forrer, Valeska Gert, Stephen Goodfellow, Zach Harris, Margaret Harrison, Tommy Hartung, Nadira Husain, Jamian Juliano-Villani, Cyrus Kabiru, E’wao Kagoshima, Gülsün Karamustafa, Keiichi Tanaami, Július Koller, Jirí Kovanda, Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato, Boris Lurie, Alice Mackler, Abu Bakarr Mansaray, f.marquespenteado, Park McArthur, Birgit Megerle, Jeffry Mitchell, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Masatoshi Naito, Hylton Nel, Zoë Paul, Nick Payne, Christina Ramberg, Bunny Rogers, David Rosenak, Erna Rosenstein, Xanti Schawinsky, Max Schumann, Leang Seckon, Diane Simpson, Philip Smith, Hajime Sorayama, Jeni Spota, Miroslav Tichý, Amikam Toren, Endre Tót, William T. Vollmann
The Jewish Museum presents Unorthodox, a group exhibition featuring over 200 works by 55 international contemporary artists whose practices mix forms and genres without concern for artistic conventions.
“Unorthodox does not comment on Jewish religious orthodoxy or critique it, but takes its inspiration from...the Jewish tradition of dialogue and debate,” said Jens Hoffmann. “Unorthodox aims to break with a cultural and artistic uniformity that has developed over the last century among artists and museums, proposing a nonconformist engagement with art as a means to disrupt the status quo.”
Though the artists in Unorthodox come from a wide variety of backgrounds and generations, they are united in their spirit of independence and individuality. The exhibition highlights the importance of iconoclasm and art’s key role in breaking rules and traditions.
Unorthodox is organized by Jens Hoffmann, Deputy Director, Exhibitions and Public Programs, Daniel S. Palmer, Leon Levy Assistant Curator, and Kelly Taxter, Assistant Curator.
Public programs
On Curating
Sunday, November 8, 8:30pm
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director of Exhibitions, Serpentine Galleries, and Jens Hoffmann, Deputy Director, Exhibitions and Public Programs, discuss their radical curatorial strategies in a conversation at 92Y.
Tickets
On Exhibitions
Tuesday, November 10, 10am
Kelly Taxter, Assistant Curator, and Daniel S. Palmer, Leon Levy Assistant Curator, discuss Unorthodox at 92Y, followed by an exhibition walkthrough at the Jewish Museum with Jens Hoffmann.
Tickets
On Art History
Thursday, November 12, 6:30pm
Claire Bishop, Professor, CUNY Graduate Center, and Joshua Decter, author of Art Is a Problem: Selected Criticism, Essays, Interviews and Curatorial Projects (1986–2012) and instructor, Cooper Union and School of Visual Arts, examine the role of art in post-avant-garde times.
Tickets
On Art I
Tuesday, November 17, 6:30pm
Authors Dorota Jarecka and Barbara Piwowarska and artist R.H. Quaytman discuss a new publication on the work of Erna Rosenstein.
Free with RSVP
On Art II
Thursday, November 19, 6pm
Unorthodox artists reflect on their practices with co-curators Kelly Taxter and Daniel S. Palmer. Presented as part of Performa 15.
Free with pay-what-you-wish admission, RSVP recommended
On Religion
Thursday, February 18, 6:30pm
Alan Levenson, Director, Schusterman Center for Judaic & Israel Studies, University of Oklahoma, and author of The Making of the Modern Jewish Bible speaks with Susan Katz Miller, journalist and author of Being Both: Embracing Two Religions in One Interfaith Family.
More info
On Museums
Sunday, February 28, 2–6:30pm
International and local curators investigate the unconventional and nonconformist approaches to programming at their institutions in a half-day symposium. Presented in collaboration with the Program in Museum Studies, New York University.
More info
On Philosopy
Tuesday, March 22, 7pm, 92Y
Mark Edmundson, University Professor, Department of English, University of Virginia, and Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University, address the legacy of Sigmund Freud.
More info
Unorthodox is made possible by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations, the Boris Lurie Art Foundation, the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, and a Gift of Agnes Gund.
Endowment support is provided by the Melva Bucksbaum Fund for Contemporary Art. Additional support is provided by the Leon Levy Foundation and Ealan and Melinda Wingate.
Additional support is provided through public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
