THE SCORPION GESTURE

Through January 7, 2019, in the Second and Third Floor Galleries

The mudra known as the scorpion gesture is said to have unlimited power and potential for transformation. Your presence will transform the Rubin galleries in Chitra Ganesh’s new series The Scorpion Gesture, causing her large-scale animations to appear as if by magic when you walk by select artworks. Ganesh has created five animated artistic “interventions” inspired by pieces in Gateway to Himalayan Art and Masterworks, using the figures of Padmasambhava, known as the Second Buddha, and Maitreya, the Future Buddha, as points of departure. The animations build on Ganesh’s longstanding investigation of mythology, imagery, and narrative in her multidisciplinary practice, integrating her drawings with elements from the Rubin’s collection. Developed with and animated by the STUDIO.

FACE OF THE FUTURE

Through November 4 in the Theatre Level

For Face of the Future, Ganesh reimagines how visual languages of science fiction and fantasy take shape and proliferate around the world in print culture, literature, and cinema. In addition to showcasing her own new works on paper and collage-based pieces, Ganesh has invited seven emerging artists—Maia Cruz Palileo, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Tammy Nguyen, Jagdeep Raina, Sahana Ramakrishnan, Anuj Shrestha, and Tuesday Smillie—to expand and redefine the aesthetics of science fiction by creating posters that refer to a group of important, influential films largely outside the Western canon. Chitra Ganesh is made possible by Rasika and Girish Reddy, Manoj and Rita Singh, Akhoury Foundation, and contributors to the 2018 Exhibitions Fund.