Rashid Johnson, “Fly Away”

Johnson has proven to be one of the more significant figures to have emerged from the Studio Museum in Harlem’s breakout "Freestyle" show of 2001, which signaled a key shift in contemporary African-American art away from the polemic approach of 1990s identity art towards a nuanced reading of race based on more subjective perspective. For Johnson, this has meant work that metaphorically relays the experience of African-American men as they negotiate the hazards of white privilege and racism. His latest show takes its title from “I’ll Fly Away,” an old spiritual which speaks to the desire to escape earthly troubles for heavenly redemption. The song's theme serves as the jumping off point for Johnson’s latest show, which includes an immersive installation.