[Curator’s Selection 007] The Semiotics of Keith Haring Vol. 2 —Inspired by the African Art Museum’s “Forms and Impressions: Art of the Congo” Exhibition
Special Cooperation: African Art Museum
The Nakamura Keith Haring Collection’s Curator’s Selection series explores multifaceted interpretations of Keith Haring’s art through exhibitions curated by the museum’s curators.
In this second volume of The Semiotics of Keith Haring, we juxtapose works by Haring with textile art from the Kuba people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, part of the esteemed collection at the African Art Museum. These textiles, made from raffia palm fibers and known as long nchak, will be presented alongside Haring’s art.
Haring’s glowing baby, barking dog, pyramid, dancing figures, and intricate networks of lines repeatedly appear in his works as symbols. Similarly, the Kuba textiles, created through meticulous needlework that harmonizes with the rhythms of nature, feature geometric patterns that emerge on fabric as symbolic motifs.
Given Haring’s background in semiotics, one might wonder if he recognized the symbolic nature of African art as a source of inspiration.
This exhibition invites you to uncover new dimensions of Haring’s work through its connections with African art and to rediscover the vibrant, semiotic dialogue between these two worlds.
