A Game Of Musical Chairs

Keyes Gallery in Sag Harbor will open “Musical Chairs,” a new exhibition on Wednesday, August 12, from 6 to 9 p.m. Though it’s a children’s game, musical chairs is also defined as “any activities which result in repeated, pointless shuffling of people or objects.”

To that end, this show mirrors the format of the game whilst highlighting the uncertainty and of our new reality. The exhibition pulls from the multi-generational family collection of Penny McCall and her daughter Jennifer McSweeney. McCall collected art from the early 1980s until her untimely death in 1999, while McSweeney continues to collect to this day. Works from their collection included in the exhibition include paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, video and sound.

Three sculptures depicting chairs by Jean Blackburn, Willie Cole and Rita McBride are the centerpiece of the exhibition — albeit 6-feet apart, of course. Works of art implying the human figure surround the chairs acting as the “players.” Included in this group is an early 1988 work by Mary Weatherford that is a striking profile of director Jean Luc Goddard with text. The seminal 1995 video work titled, “Why I became a dancer” by Tracey Emin, is also included. Additionally, there is a signature 2008 work by Hassan Hajjaj revealing the intersection of fashion and the Muslim culture. And lastly, a very early painting (1961) by Nancy Spero titled “NIGHTMARE FIGURES III” is on view. This rarely seen series was last presented at PS 1 in 2019.

Other artists in the exhibition include Donald Baechler, Leslie Dill, Kim Dingle, Walton Ford, Charles LeDray, Thomas Ruff, Doris Salcedo, Hugh Steers, Carrie Mae Weems, Kara Walker, and others. The show was curated by Jennifer McSweeney and Megan Riley. Keyes Gallery is located at 45 Main Street in Sag Harbor and is adjacent to The American Hotel. The work remains on view through September 7. For details, visit juliekeyesart.com.