The New Museum in New York will present the largest-ever survey of filmmaker and multimedia artist Arthur Jafa, titled "I Am Tony," opening September 24 and running through January 4, 2027. The two-floor exhibition spans Jafa's nearly four-decade career, featuring iconic works such as "Love is the Message, The Message is Death" (2016) and "The White Album" (2018), alongside new works. The survey is named after jazz drummer Tony Williams and is curated by Artistic Director Massimiliano Gioni, Senior Curator Gary Carrion-Murayari, and Curatorial Assistant Calvin Wang.
This survey matters because it cements Arthur Jafa's status as a leading contemporary artist whose work critically examines Black identity and visual culture. Jafa's video "The White Album" won the Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Biennale, and "Love is the Message, The Message is Death" became a touchstone during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. The exhibition's scale and institutional backing from the recently expanded New Museum signal a major recognition of Jafa's influence on both art and broader cultural discourse.