This article highlights 11 art exhibitions opening across Greater Boston this summer, encouraging viewers to challenge their beliefs and reflect on collective memory. Featured shows include "Giorgio Griffa: Paths in the Forest" at the Clark Art Institute, the artist's first U.S. solo exhibition; "Where's Boston? 50 Years Later" at the Boston Athenaeum, revisiting Constantine Manos's 1974 photographic portrait of the city; "James Dye: The Void, the Wheel, and the Monster" at Fitchburg Art Museum; and "Stories on the Planet: Asagi Maeda" at Fuller Craft Museum, among others.
These exhibitions matter because they collectively ask audiences to interrogate how history is remembered and represented, from manipulated photographs to abstract paintings that embrace impermanence. The shows also spotlight both established international artists like Giorgio Griffa and local talents like James Dye, reinforcing Boston's role as a vibrant hub for critical and diverse visual art experiences during the summer season.