Art has the power to move us—but who has the power to create art, to present it, and to control the narratives around it? David Zwirner and The New York Review of Books present the second in a series of talks exploring the intersection of power and culture: a conversation that brings together electrifying artists to discuss the ways in power and art go hand in hand, and the ways in artist shape and are shaped by the cultural moments they exist in. This conversation will investigate how creators—from visual artists to poets and playwrights—both wield power and are subject to the power of institutions, patrons, and cultural dialogue. It will investigate how artists conceive the power that their works might have, and it will grapple with how entities possessing power—the public, the artist, and the work itself—come into contact with one another, sometimes with combustible results. The discussion brings together four vital voices: Elizabeth Alexander, poet, essayist, and playwright, and president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris; author and cultural critic Fran Lebowitz; and artist Lisa Yuskavage. Moderated by Daniel Mendelsohn, Editor-at-Large of The New York Review of Books.
New York City, NY; NYC