MoMA Announces Projects: Tadáskía Opening in May 2024, and Acquisition of the Artist's Work

NEW YORK, March 27, 2024 - The Museum of Modern Art announces Projects: Tadáskía, on view in the Museum’s street-level galleries from May 24 through October 14, 2024, as well as the acquisition of the exhibition’s centerpiece, an expansive work on paper titled ave preta mística mystical black bird (2022), into MoMA’s collection. Tadáskía is a multidisciplinary artist based in Brazil who uses drawing, sculpture, and mixed media to articulate themes of transformation and joy influenced by her experiences as a Black trans woman. The exhibition, presented in collaboration with the Studio Museum in Harlem, will be the artist’s first solo presentation in the United States, and features MoMA’s recently acquired work alongside a monumental wall drawing and sculptures made in response to the site at MoMA. Projects: Tadáskía is organized by Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and Ana Torok, the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Assistant Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints, MoMA, with the assistance of Kiki Teshome, Curatorial Assistant, the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Inspired in part by Jean de La Fontaine’s 17th-century fables, ave preta mística mystical black bird consists of 61 sheets of paper that pair the artist’s freeform drawings with poetic text in both Portuguese and English. The narrative, which unfolds from one sheet to the next, recounts the winged protagonist’s fantastical journey toward collective growth and freedom. Across each of the drawings, images vary and morph—appearing as crescent moons, brilliant suns, or ambiguous, abstract shapes—as they punctuate the poetic text. In this work, and across her wider practice, Tadáskía often employs an improvisational approach, sometimes by closing her eyes as she begins a composition or by producing new work in response to a particular site. On the occasion of the exhibition, Tadáskía will draw from the themes of ave preta mística mystical black bird to create a large-scale, site-responsive wall drawing and sculptures in MoMA’s gallery space over several weeks.

Thelma Golden said, “There is and always has been incredible artistry coming out of Brazil and I am thrilled that Tadáskía, with her imaginative drawings and sculptures, will transport this creative dynamism and ground it in a site-specific installation for MoMA’s project space. This special collaboration is a remarkable opportunity to champion an emerging voice in contemporary art and furthers the Studio Museum’s commitment to artists of African descent globally. I am endlessly grateful to Glenn Lowry and The Museum of Modern Art for their partnership, which for five years has ensured that the critical work at the Studio Museum continues.”

Since 2019, MoMA and the Studio Museum have partnered on a series of Projects exhibitions while the Studio Museum has been closed for construction of a new facility on the site of its longtime home on West 125th Street. Projects: Tadáskía is the fifth exhibition in MoMA’s Projects collaboration with the Studio Museum. Past exhibitions include Projects 110: Michael Armitage (2019), Projects: Garrett Bradley (2020), Projects: Kahlil Robert Irving (2021), and Projects: Ming Smith (2023).

Tadáskía (Brazilian, born 1993) lives and works in Rio de Janeiro. The artist's work was a highlight of the 35th São Paulo Biennial, choreographies of the impossible (2023) with a large-scale installation featuring her wall drawings and sculpture. Her recent solo exhibitions include Flores e frutas, Galpão Bela Maré, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2023); As Parecidas, Galeria Madragoa, Lisboa, Portugal (2023); rara ocellet, Galeria Joan Prats, Barcelona, Spain (2023); and Noite dia, Sé Galeria, São Paulo, Brazil (2022). The artist has also taken part in several group shows, including Direito à forma, Galeria Fonte – Institut Inhotim, Brumadinho, Brazil (2023); 37° Panorama da Arte Brasileira – Sob as cinzas, brasa, Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, Brazil (2023); Dos Brasis, SESC Belenzinho, São Paulo, Brazil (2023); The Silence of Tired Tongues, Framer Framed, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2022); and Eros Rising: Visions of the Erotic in Latin American Art, ISLAA – Institute for Studies on Latin American Art, New York (2022).

Studio Museum in Harlem, The Museum of Modern Art, and MoMA PS1

The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 have joined in a multiyear partnership with the Studio Museum in Harlem. Together, these museums have developed a series of programs and exhibitions building on existing affiliations and shared values. At the core of this partnership is a joint fellowship for rising professionals in the arts. Founded in 2015, this fellowship program for the development of museum staff is aimed at mentoring and diversifying the next generation of art professionals. The two-year fellowship provides participants with the opportunity to spend a year at each institution, gaining experience in the curatorial or public programming departments.

Audio Guide

Hear from the artist about her influences, process, and approach. The audio playlist, available in Portuguese and English, will feature interviews with Tadáskía regarding the works on display and their connections to her wider practice.

Sponsorship

The Elaine Dannheisser Projects Series is made possible in part by the Elaine Dannheisser Foundation and The Young Patrons Council of The Museum of Modern Art.

The Bloomberg Connects digital experience is made possible through the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Press Contact

Jack Spielsinger, [email protected]
Sasha Cordingley, sc[email protected]
Press Office, [email protected]
Press Office, [email protected] 

For downloadable high-resolution images, visit moma.org/press.