Tau Lewis (b. 1993, Toronto, Canada, lives and works in New York)
By inserting the shape of an auction block into the center of Albers’s structured compositions, Locke places one history inside another, merging the aesthetics of Modernism with the violent legacy of slavery. While his work acknowledges Albers, Locke complicates notions of progress by embedding a tragic symbol within a celebrated Modernist form. His use of an unsteady line and a palette that diverges sharply from Albers’s precision and color theory disrupts the established visual language, unsettling unquestioned narratives, and shifting historical perspectives toward a more inclusive and urgent expression. Locke’s solo exhibition, the fire next time, is on view at Mass MoCA until November 2025.
Tau Lewis transforms found textiles and artifacts through intricate sewing and quilting, creating imaginary talismans and otherworldly beings inspired by sci-fi and Caribbean folklore. In her 2021 series Divine Giants Tribunal , which includes Sol Niger (With my fire, I may destroy everything, by my breath, souls are lifted from putrefied earth) , she crafted an eleven-foot-tall mask from hand-stitched scrap fabrics and recycled leathers. This monumental face, composed of found materials, connects her practice to artists such as Lonnie Holley, Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, and the Gee’s Bend quilters while also drawing from mythical objects and symbolism. Influenced by Yoruba masks and the writings of Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka, Lewis infuses her work with a sense of otherworldly mythology. Sol Niger was first featured in the 2022 Venice Biennale, The Milk of Dreams .
Summer Wheat (b. 1977, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, lives and works in New York)
Summer Wheat’s vibrant paintings, sculptures, and installations merge fine art and craft traditions, drawing from ancient art, medieval tapestries, and modernist abstraction. Her work explores labor, leisure, and class through archetypal figures like farmers, weavers, and bankers, emphasizing shared human experiences. In iPad (2020), a mosaic sculpture of a woman drawing on a tablet, Wheat links digital tools to craft traditions, reflecting her embrace of technology in artmaking. In 2022, the Kansas City Museum announced JewelHouse , her monumental project transforming its former Beaux-Arts Conservatory and planetarium. This ambitious architectural intervention reimagines historical narratives through contemporary art. Through dynamic material innovation, Wheat bridges past and present, creating a rich, evolving visual language.
Todd Gray (b. 1954, Los Angeles, California, lives and works in Los Angeles, California)
Todd Gray’s photo-based work explores black masculinity, diaspora, and the intersections of power, blending contemporary and historical perspectives. Split between Los Angeles and Ghana, he delves into the cultural dislocations and connections between Western hegemony and West Africa, reflecting on transformative histories through multiple nonlinear spaces and time periods. Atlantic (New Futures) (2022) addresses the legacy of the Atlantic slave trade while invoking Afrofuturism, a cultural movement that reclaims Black history and envisions an empowered future. In 2017, Gray and his partner, artist Kyungmi Shin, established the Sedabuda School and Residency in Akwidaa, Ghana, furthering their commitment to fostering artistic and educational exchange.
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