North Carolina Museum of Art Winston-Salem wraps current exhibitions

On December 30, galleries at the North Carolina Museum of Art Winston-Salem, formerly SECCA, will close for new installations, replacing the three contrasting exhibitions that finish out the year.

When visitors descend the staircase into the main gallery, they're greeted by enormous flowing silks dramatically hung laundry line style from cables stretching 15 feet off the ground. Printed on each of them in muted colors, black and white — some veiled in shadow — are photographic images of African American identity by Atlanta-raised artist Tyler Mitchell. His handcrafted furniture pieces scattered amongst the silks evoke memories of home and family life.

Nearby, New York-based artist Jordan Nassar of Palestinian descent, shows detailed, geometric wall-sized embroidered designs, combining centuries-old traditional techniques with modern color palettes and patterns to evoke the landscape of that region.

Executive Director Bill Carpenter says these two artists illustrate the breadth of where contemporary art is today. As does LA-based painter John Brooks whose work is also on display.

"He’s really working in the tradition of German expressionism," says Carpenter. "And what he’s putting together here is a study of queer identity and queer celebrity, and sort of tracing out a kind of queer history of celebrity and pop culture."

The result: an otherworldly visual experience. Large, colorful portraits of iconic historical figures like James Baldwin and Marlene Dietrich interacting with modern-day celebrities like Lil Nas X. All three exhibits, Mitchell’s Domestic Imaginaries, Nassar’s There, and Brooks’ Tell Me if the Lovers Are Losers will remain on display through the end of the month.