A New Commission by Park Avenue Armory

The Shape of Things

Carrie Mae Weems

A New Commission by Park Avenue Armory

The Shape of Things

Carrie Mae Weems

December 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021

Wade Thompson Drill Hall

Carrie Mae Weems, an artist who has consistently and poignantly addressed the conditions of race in the United States, will create a multi-work installation and series of performances titled The Shape of Things. Weems’ unflinching gaze at what she describes as the “pageantry” and “circus-like” quality of contemporary American political life find form in a series of large-scale installations and a cyclorama (a panoramic image on the inside of a cylindrical platform) of six to eight projections of new and existing film footage where Weems addresses the turmoil of current events and the “long march forward.” Suggestive of a 19th-century carnival with dioramas based on spontaneous street memorials, peep shows, and a Pepper’s Ghost, The Shape of Things is an incisive, powerfully emotional, and critical reflection on events both deeply embedded in American culture and history and the explosive events of the past year.

Installation Hours

Tuesdays–Thursdays: 12:00pm–7:00pm
Fridays: 12:00pm–9:00pm
Saturdays and Sundays: 12:00pm–6:00pm

Holiday Hours

Friday, December 24, 2021: 12:00pm–4:00pm
Monday, December 27, 2021: 12:00pm–7:00pm
Friday, December 31, 2021: 12:00pm–4:00pm

“Compelling…the visual and historical connections [Weems] makes [are] often insightful, sometimes funny, and occasionally quite direct.”

The New York Times

“Powerful…deeply compelling [and] at moments even revelatory.”

Vogue

Gallery

Carrie Mae Weems' "Cyclorama - Conditions, A Video in 5 Parts" (2021) as part of her exhibition The Shape of Things at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Carrie Mae Weems' "Lincoln, Lonnie, and Me" (2014) as part of her exhibition The Shape of Things at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Carrie Mae Weems' "Cyclorama - Conditions, A Video in 5 Parts" (2021) as part of her exhibition The Shape of Things at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Carrie Mae Weems' "Cyclorama - Conditions, A Video in 5 Parts" (2021) as part of her exhibition The Shape of Things at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Carrie Mae Weems' "Seat or Stand or Speak" (2021) and "All Blue - A Contemplative Site" (2021) as part of her exhibition The Shape of Things at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Carrie Mae Weems' "Cyclorama - Conditions, A Video in 5 Parts" (2021) as part of her exhibition The Shape of Things at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Carrie Mae Weems' "It's Over - A Diorama" (2021) as part of her exhibition The Shape of Things at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Related Events

2021 Season

Land of Broken Dreams

Accompanying Carrie Mae Weems’ monumental exhibition, The Shape of Things, this large-scale, multidisciplinary convening and concert series activates the Armory with artists and scholars sharing work and exploring urgent issues facing society today.

Learn More

Support

The Shape of Things is supported by generous grants from the Ford Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the VIA Art Fund, Ken Kuchin and Tyler Morgan, and the Robert Lehman Foundation. The production is also supported in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.