Can You Hear Me Now?

Apr 27, 2019 – Sep 29, 2019

Featured images

In a blue-tinted image a stream of water pours directly into a person's ear. — Ann Hamilton, (the capacity of absorption.video), 1988/1993. LCD monitor with color-toned image, 30-minute video laser disc, and laser disc player; screen: 3 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (8.9 × 11.4 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Bernice and Kenneth Newberger Fund; restricted gift of Susan and Lewis Manilow and Howard and Donna Stone, 1995.12
Photo © MCA Chicago © 1993 Ann Hamilton and Sean Kelly Gallery

A stream of water pours into an open mouth, splashing out the sides. — Ann Hamilton, (the capacity of absorption.video), 1988/1993. LCD monitor with color-toned image, 30-minute video laser disc, and laser disc player; screen: 3 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (8.9 × 11.4 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Bernice and Kenneth Newberger Fund; restricted gift of Susan and Lewis Manilow and Howard and Donna Stone, 1995.12
Photo © MCA Chicago © 1993 Ann Hamilton and Sean Kelly Gallery

Drawn largely from the MCA collection, the works in Can You Hear Me Now? deal with breakdowns in communication and our inability to hear each other in polarized political climates. The exhibition asks the viewer to consider the proliferation of sound: which messages merit amplification, and which are unduly stifled? The artists in Can You Hear Me Now? explore the individual's struggle to communicate on levels ranging from the personal to the governmental, addressing which voices are supported or silenced. The exhibition surveys a world in which we are unable to engage in meaningful conversations without succumbing to political apathy.

The exhibition is organized by Bana Kattan, Barjeel Global Fellow. It is presented in the Cohen and Stone Family Galleries on the museum's fourth floor.

Featured images

Installation Images