Laylah Ali: Small Aggressions

About the Exhibition

The delicate scale and enticing colors of Laylah Ali’s works on paper invite close scrutiny . Ali’s first solo museum exhibition presents twenty-four works from the Greenheads and Attack of the Blueheads series. With their hybrid bodies, contrasting uniforms, and various accessories, Ali’s attenuated figures raise difficult questions about identity and power struggles in contemporary society. At first the viewer may see the figures engaged in sinister or aggressive activities, but the apparent violence is mitigated by those figures who seem to offer assistance or hurry to the rescue. The similarities between figures often make it difficult to discern who wields power and for what ultimate purpose. Ali’s open-ended narratives prompt the viewer to attempt to make sense of the odd, often violent acts being committed in this brightly colored, cartoonish world.

This exhibition was curated by Manilow Senior Curator Francesco Bonami.