In an era when persona-driven solo shows reign supreme, the group show is—particularly during the summer, when out-of-office auto-responses are epidemic—often overlooked, or, worse yet, thought of as exhibition program “filler.” Yet it is precisely group shows that provide what is often seen as missing within the greater art world calendar and surrounding discourse: strong curatorial voices, thematic and medium-based explorations, and new perspectives on the current artistic zeitgeist. Group shows are a place where art—rather than the artist alone—gets the real limelight. Historically, it has also proven a potent entryway for emerging artists to get their foot in the proverbial door, without having to shoulder the immense pressure of a premature debut solo.
While single-artist shows are often touted either as star-making vehicles or as reflections of shifts in the art-making landscape—or both—their value primarily lies in their focused look at one artist’s work from a specific period (usually a recent one). To reiterate: There is real value in spotlighting one artist’s voice amid the art world cacophony. But the focus on solo shows can also be limiting. For broader insights, we must look to the group show.
