Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now

Organized by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now presents close to three dozen contemporary artists from the Himalayas, Asia, and diaspora whose work is presented in dialogue with objects from the Rubin Museum’s permanent collection, inviting new ways of encountering traditional Himalayan art.

The exhibition features approximately 22 new commissions as well as recent work across mediums—including painting, sculpture, sound, video, and installation—that reimagine the forms, symbols, and narratives found within the living cultural heritage of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and other Himalayan regions. The artists, many of whom are exhibiting in the United States for the first time, explore the continuum of the cultures that shape their identity, merging past with present into one space, and posing questions about the potential for transformation today.

Wrightwood 659 is open Fridays 12 noon-7 pm, and Saturdays 10 am-5 pm. Admission is $15 and is available online only at https://tickets.wrightwood659.org/events. 

Please note, admission is by advance ticket only. Walk-ups are not permitted.

Founded in 2018, Wrightwood 659 is a private, non-collecting institution. Located at 659 W. Wrightwood Avenue, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, it was envisioned as a new kind of arts space devoted to presenting exhibitions on architecture and socially engaged art, including issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, and Asian art and architecture. Wrightwood 659 was designed by Pritzker Prize winner Tadao Ando, who transformed a 1920s building with his signature concrete forms and poetic treatment of natural light. Acclaimed as one of Chicago’s “hidden treasures,” Wrightwood 659 offers visitors a chance to engage with the pressing issues of our time in an intimate and beautiful space. 

For additional information, please visit https://wrightwood659.org/