The Bronx Museum is presenting the first-ever museum retrospective of multimedia artist Michael Richards”™ work.
“Michael Richards: Are You Down?” features sculptures, drawings, installations, and video work created by Richards between 1990 and 2001. Born in Brooklyn in 1963 and raised in Jamaica, Richards’ artwork plumbs the tragedy of social injustice and the simultaneous possibilities of uplift and downfall, often in the context of the historic and ongoing oppression of Black people. The artist often used flight and aviation as central themes, with inspirations ranging from Greek mythology, Christian scriptures, African and Black American folklore and the historic legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Richards was working in Lower Manhattan Cultural Council World Views studio on the 92nd floor of World Trade Center, Tower One, when he was killed in the 9/11 attacks. Twenty-two years later, his work continues to challenge emotions and provoke discussion.
Photo: Michael Richards, “A Loss of Faith Brings Vertigo,” 1994, resin, marble dust, wood, motor, photo transfer, five elements, dimensions variable. Photograph by Oriol Tarridas, courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami and The Michael Richards Estate.
