hexagon icon
Past

Unorthodox

Nov. 6, 2015 – Mar. 27, 2016

This group exhibition features 55 contemporary artists from around the world whose practices mix forms and genres without concern for artistic conventions.

Though the artists in Unorthodox come from a wide variety of backgrounds and generations, they are united in their spirit of independence and individuality. Through over 200 works, the exhibition highlights the importance of iconoclasm and art’s key role in breaking rules and traditions. Numerous works that examine social and political values, religion and humanism, trauma, and identity explore the relationship between the human figure and the modern creative process.

#JMUnorthodox

Unorthodox is organized by Jens Hoffmann, Deputy Director, Exhibitions and Public Programs, Daniel S. Palmer, Leon Levy Assistant Curator, and Kelly Taxter, Assistant Curator.

 

Participating Artists

Margit Anna
Austė
Clayton Bailey
Brian Belott
Meriem Bennani
Adolfo Bernal
Dineo Seshee Bopape
Michael Buthe
Tony Cox
Olga de Amaral
Brian DeGraw
Marie-Louise Ekman
Brenda Fajardo
Christina Forrer
Valeska Gert
Stephen Goodfellow
Zach Harris
Margaret Harrison
Tommy Hartung
Nadira Husain
Jamian Juliano-Villani
Cyrus Kabiru
E’wao Kagoshima
Gülsün Karamustafa
Keiichi Tanaami
Július Koller
Jirí  Kovanda
Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato
Boris Lurie
Alice Mackler
Abu Bakarr Mansaray
f.marquespenteado
Park McArthur
Birgit Megerle
Jeffry Mitchell
Mrinalini Mukherjee
Masatoshi Naito
Hylton Nel
Zoë Paul
Nick Payne
Christina Ramberg
Bunny Rogers
David Rosenak
Erna Rosenstein
Xanti Schawinsky
Max Schumann
Leang Seckon
Diane Simpson
Philip Smith
Hajime Sorayama
Jeni Spota
Miroslav Tichý
Amikam Toren
Endre Tót
William T. Vollmann

 

In the Press
“…it’s an engaging, often entertaining and intermittently exhilarating show.”
— The New York Times

“Unorthodox never lets you settle down in front of a work—every step results in a kaleidoscopic reshuffling.”
— Artsy

“A collection of work that is gorgeous and sometimes shocking, exploring difficult issues and proving once more the power and helpfulness of art in confronting them.”
— The Creators Project

Unorthodox is made possible by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations, the Boris Lurie Art Foundation, the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, and a Gift of Agnes Gund.

Endowment support is provided by the Melva Bucksbaum Fund for Contemporary Art. Additional support is provided by the Leon Levy Foundation and Ealan and Melinda Wingate.

Installation view of the exhibition Unorthodox, November 6, 2015-March 27, 2016. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by: David Heald.

Exhibition highlights

  • Installation view of the exhibition Unorthodox, November 6, 2015-March 27, 2016. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by: David Heald.

    Installation view of the exhibition Unorthodox, November 6, 2015-March 27, 2016. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by: David Heald.

  • Austé. A Mistaken Style of Life, 1987. Acrylic on canvas. 8’ x 5’. Courtesy the artist and Algus Greenspon, New York.

    Austé. A Mistaken Style of Life, 1987. Acrylic on canvas. 8’ x 5’. Courtesy the artist and Algus Greenspon, New York.

  • Installation view of the exhibition Unorthodox, November 6, 2015-March 27, 2016. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by: David Heald.

    Installation view of the exhibition Unorthodox, November 6, 2015-March 27, 2016. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by: David Heald.

  • Bunny Rogers. Self-portrait as clone of Jeanne d'Arc, 2014. Fine art print on Hahnemühle PhotoRag Ultrasmooth 305 g, artist frame. ca. 70 x 60 x 4 cm / 27,5 x 23,5 x 1.5 inches. © Bunny Rogers / image provided by Société Berlin, Germany.

    Bunny Rogers. Self-portrait as clone of Jeanne d'Arc, 2014. Fine art print on Hahnemühle PhotoRag Ultrasmooth 305 g, artist frame. ca. 70 x 60 x 4 cm / 27,5 x 23,5 x 1.5 inches. © Bunny Rogers / image provided by Société Berlin, Germany.

  • Keiichi Tanaami. Sweet Friday, 1975. © Keiichi Tanaami, courtesy of the artist and NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan.

    Keiichi Tanaami. Sweet Friday, 1975. © Keiichi Tanaami, courtesy of the artist and NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan.

  • Installation view of the exhibition Unorthodox, November 6, 2015-March 27, 2016. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by: David Heald.

    Installation view of the exhibition Unorthodox, November 6, 2015-March 27, 2016. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by: David Heald.

  • Take an exclusive tour of The Jewish Museum's exhibit, Unorthodox, guided by Jens Hoffmann, deputy director, exhibitions and public programs. Unorthodox is a large-scale group exhibition featuring over 50 contemporary artists from around the world whose practices mix forms and genres without concern for artistic conventions.

    Take an exclusive tour of The Jewish Museum's exhibit, Unorthodox, guided by Jens Hoffmann, deputy director, exhibitions and public programs. Unorthodox is a large-scale group exhibition featuring over 50 contemporary artists from around the world whose practices mix forms and genres without concern for artistic conventions.

  • Hans Ulrich Obrist is widely regarded as the most experimental and unconventional curator of his generation and is credited with radically altering the traditional understanding of exhibition-making. He sits down with the Jewish Museum’s Jens Hoffmann, Deputy Director, Exhibitions and Public Programs and co-curator of the exhibition Unorthodox, to discuss the development and history of curating, highlighting some of Obrist’s most challenging exhibitions and examining historical examples of radical curatorial practices that have emerged over the last 40 years. Recorded on November 8, 2015 at 92nd Street Y.

    Hans Ulrich Obrist is widely regarded as the most experimental and unconventional curator of his generation and is credited with radically altering the traditional understanding of exhibition-making. He sits down with the Jewish Museum’s Jens Hoffmann, Deputy Director, Exhibitions and Public Programs and co-curator of the exhibition Unorthodox, to discuss the development and history of curating, highlighting some of Obrist’s most challenging exhibitions and examining historical examples of radical curatorial practices that have emerged over the last 40 years. Recorded on November 8, 2015 at 92nd Street Y.