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RISDM 2013-51-14.jpg

Introduction

Drawing Conclusions

January 22 - September 25, 2016

Visual art—like storytelling—communicates meaning, but rarely does an artwork hold a single meaning. A great pleasure of art is that each viewer brings her or his own experience to a work, often revealing many ways to interpret it.

Drawn from the Museum’s collection of works on paper, this exhibition explores the multivalence of narrative in contemporary art. It presents a diverse collection of works that tell stories, blending the public and personal, the real and fictional. Whether serving as a stage for surreal dreaming or a site to ponder history and identity, each artwork draws on an expanded understanding of narrative and the forms it can take. We invite viewers to draw their own conclusions.

The exhibition was organized with the help of Emilia Mickevicius, PhD candidate at Brown University, and Jagdeep Raina, MFA candidate at RISD, both assistants in the Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs.

Selected Objects

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Marlene Dumas

White Lies, 2001
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Marcel Dzama

Untitled, 2005
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Raghubir Singh

Men with Popsicles, 1984
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Chris Ofili

After the Dance, 2006
RISDM 2014-66-44.jpg

Alison Saar

Black Snake Blues, 1994
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Shahzia Sikander

Embark Disembark V, 2004
RISDM 2014-66-31.jpg

Faith Ringgold

Under the Blood Red Sky, 2007
RISDM 2009-85 v_02.jpg

Faith Ringgold

Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2008
RISDM 2013-51-13.jpg

Robyn O'Neil

How He Left Them, 2006
RISDM 2013-51-14.jpg

Robyn O'Neil

This Has Changed Him, 2006
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Larry Day

The Venus Society: An Entertainment in Eight Episodes, ca. 1967
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Charles Avery

Untitled (Man Gathering Carmine), 2012
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Kara Walker

A Special Attraction, 2014
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Kara Walker

Whip, 2014
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Larry Day

No.1: The Foundations, ca. 1967
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Larry Day

No. 2: The Establishment of Ritual, ca. 1967
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Larry Day

No. 3:The Discovery of Another Society, ca. 1967
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Larry Day

No. 4: The Other Society's Base, ca. 1967
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Larry Day

No. 5: The Struggle for the Uncommitted, ca. 1967
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Larry Day

No. 6: The Search,Atonement, ca. 1967
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Larry Day

No. 7:The Merger, ca. 1967
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Larry Day

No. 8: The Dance, ca. 1967

More objects +

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