Nov 19, 2025–Jul 5, 2026
MoMA
“Less Is Morbid” is a provocative exploration of emotional resonance and the power of visual association by artist Arthur Jafa. Known for his dynamic collages, montages, and installations, Jafa curates nearly 100 works from MoMA’s collection, creating compelling dialogues that bridge diverse artistic approaches and histories. The exhibition juxtaposes artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat with Cy Twombly, and Lygia Clark with Roy DeCarava and Piet Mondrian, offering a rich interplay of minimalist and maximalist tendencies, sparse and dense compositions, as well as intimate and cosmological themes.
Many of the works employ the allover painting technique, extending the picture beyond its physical frame, challenging traditional boundaries and hierarchies in art. Jafa’s title riffs on the modernist mantra “less is more,” critically revisiting the 20th century’s preference for simplicity, order, and rationality—often at the expense of the complexity found in cultures and identities considered excessive or chaotic. Through this installation, the exhibition encourages viewers to reconsider binaries and coexistence, embracing multiplicity and emotional complexity as vital to understanding contemporary life and art.
