“In Our Time: Selections from the Singer Collection” opens October 1, 2022 at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA).

Borrowing from the collection of Iris and Adam C. Singer, “In Our Time” takes a sharp look at 40 works by 27 contemporary artists from the African diaspora.

Using painting as the primary medium, the exhibition deconstructs the use of storytelling, figuration and abstraction in the works of Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Annan Affotey, Patrick Alston, Hurvin Anderson, Michael Armitage, Amoako Boafo , Mark Bradford, Dominic Chambers, Jadé Fadojutimi, Derek Fordjour, Alex Gardner, Rashid Johnson, Rachel Jones, Danielle McKinney, Wangechi Mutu, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Chris Ofili, Naudline Pierre, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Betye Saar, Tschabalala Self, Vaughn Spann, Genesis Tramaine, Zandile Tshabalala, Kehinde Wiley and Michaela Yearwood-Dan.

Jennifer McCabe, Director and Chief Curator of SMoCA, highlighted the importance of the singers’ collection to this exhibition. The singers thoughtfully and intentionally supported accomplished and emerging artists while building the collection.

“I am grateful for their confidence in this team, and for their generosity and kindness in all aspects of organizing and presenting the exhibit,” McCabe said.

“In Our Time” includes a selection of paintings and works on paper collected over the past 16 years. It is rooted in the work of leading global contemporary artists living and working in cities such as London, Beijing, New York, New Haven, Los Angeles, Accra and Nairobi. With an immediacy that speaks to the moment, the artists explore key themes, concerns and ideas, both personal and pervasive, in a range of styles and approaches.

The exhibition incorporates some of the most compelling conceptual concerns and unique stylistic approaches of the past three decades. A global discourse around painting is visible everywhere, especially in the passage from figurative portraits to abstraction which includes assemblage, collage and surrealist approaches.

SMoCA invited Allison Glenn, currently senior curator at the Public Art Fund in New York, to curate the exhibition with the singers.

“His sharp eye and critical mind provided a framework for the exhibition, while his brilliant vision brought together 11 authors for the catalog, resulting not only in a document of the exhibition, but also in an enlargement of the representative field of the collective work intended to change the historical narrative,” said McCabe.

“In Our Time” is divided into four sections. It starts with the portrait, looking at how the presence of the body is an affirmation in itself. In the mythologies section, artists rely on pictorial approaches to convey ideas and stories rooted in parafiction. The historical tensions between figuration and abstraction are explored and developed in the third section. And the final section brings together abstract compositions to subvert and question realities.

“The artists reflect the most pressing issues of the day, highlighting how we are connected through the social and cultural issues of our time,” Glenn said. “The works in the Singer Collection exemplify the interconnectedness of this moment, reflecting 25 years of rigorous and critical practice.”

“In Our Time: Selections from the Singer Collection” will run from October 1, 2022 through February 12, 2023. It is hosted by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) and curated by Allison Glenn.

SMoCA is located at 7374 E. Second St., Scottsdale, Arizona 85251. It is open Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit SMoCA.org for more information.

Admission is $10-$12 for non-members; $7 to $9 for students, seniors (65+) and veterans; and free for Scottsdale Arts ONE members, healthcare workers, first responders, and patrons 18 and under. Admission to the museum is free every Thursday and every second Saturday of the month. Timed entrance tickets are required. Save time and money by booking online at SMoCA.org.

SMoCA would like to thank the following sponsors: City of Scottsdale, Billie Jo Herberger, Iris and Adam Singer, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation, The S. Rex and Joan Lewis Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts , Canopy by Hilton Scottsdale Old Town, Mountain Shadows Resort, Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows, Hotel Adeline, Hotel Valley Ho, Airpark Signs & Graphics and Saguaro Scottsdale.