“Lonnie Holley: If You Really Knew,” an exhibition of the American artist’s work coming to the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA), provides an intimate look at Holley’s life and explores a decadeslong career in what will be his first major debut in the Southern United States. The show will be presented May 10 to Oct. 1.
Originally from Birmingham, Ala., Holley grew up in poverty and worked various jobs from a young age, including washing dishes, cooking and picking up trash. He spent his childhood moving in and out of foster homes, a chaotic lifestyle that tells a story of a childhood marked by instability and sorrow. A career in music and art was born from the hardship of that difficult upbringing in the late 1970s.
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Lonnie Holley
Holley created sculptures from found everyday materials to commemorate the people and places of his life and memory. The Birmingham Museum of Art curators acquired his art in the 1980s, which jumpstarted the beginning of his career. His work was later included in collections of major museums nationwide and displayed in the United Nations.
He later debuted as a music artist in 2012 in his early 60s and released five critically acclaimed albums. He recently released his sixth collaborative album, “Oh Me Oh My,” in March. The artist currently resides in Atlanta.
(Rachell Morillo)
Adeze Wilford, Curator at Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami
His artwork is a natural fit for MOCA, which supports marginalized and rising artists who have historically not received much institutional attention over the course of their careers.
Adeze Wilford curated “If You Really Knew,” working closely with Holley to create an exhibition which fully expresses the themes and messages of his pieces. The idea for the show was planned years before she joined MOCA’s team and laid out the framework for her to bring it to full fruition.
“For me, it wasn’t about dreaming up what the show could look like, but instead, dreaming of ways to connect the work he’s made throughout the decades and how to make them have a more cohesive conversation. A conversation to make those gaps feel less about time and more about this long practice he’s had,” said Wilford.
She added that working with Holley’s incredible output of existing work has been fascinating.
“He’s a dynamic person, and so conversations with him are far-ranging about his work, and it helped to make the ideas we had for the themes of the show,” said Wilford. “There are moments in the show that focus on a lot of early career moments and work in the show, including the work he had just finished that we’ll be showing in MOCA.”
(Lonnie Holley/Artists Rights Society)
“Without Skin” by Lonnie Holley
Wilford came to Miami from New York’s The Shed, a center for the arts, where she served as a curatorial assistant. She relocated to South Florida to take on the position of full-time curator at MOCA, where she now leads the curatorial department and oversees the museum’s permanent collections. Her work before consisted of commissioned work and creating new work with artists.
Holley’s exhibition – in which Wilford endeavors to demonstrate the different mediums he’s played with across his oeuvre – focuses on a motif of the abstract faces the artist has long incorporated in his work. The show features 70 pieces, including foundational “sandstone” sculptures, new works on paper and large-scale quilt paintings.
“Holley’s work is not just aesthetically compelling, but it also challenges viewers to rethink their relationships to objects, discarded items and the environment,” said Wilford. “The exhibition offers an emotionally moving experience and is a testament to the power of art to inspire social change.”
“If You Really Knew,” a piece in the exhibition from which it gained its name, contains remnants of a destroyed art installation Holley created in Alabama years ago. The piece includes the gates which were the entrance to the environment as a glimpse into Holley’s past.
(Lonnie Holley/Artist Society)
“What Women Are Afraid to Lose (The Fire On Our Planet)” by Lonnie Holley
Holley’s influence on Southern art is also highlighted in the exhibition, with pieces from artists such as Thornton Dial, Mary T. Smith, Hawkins Bowling and Miami native Purvis Young in a section especially curated by Holley himself. According to Wilford, it was his decision to champion the work of these artists – individuals he met on his travels throughout the South and considers “outsiders” – and bring them into the larger canon by including them in the show.
“This show, being one of the larger fellow presentations of Holley’s work in Florida and specifically Miami, feels really important,” said Wilford. “We have a selection of artists … he’s built incredible relationships with, including Miami’s own Purvis Young. We’re championing an artist that many people who live in the Miami area are familiar with.”
(Lonnie Holley/Artists Rights Society)
“If You Really Knew” birthed the name of artist Lonnie Holley’s MOCA exhibition.
Wilford hopes people attending the show leave with a better understanding of Holley’s practice and the crucial impact his art continues to have on artists across generations.
“I’m excited for people to understand that this show is such a small representation of his larger artistic output, and it’s quite a big show, so it feels essential for people to know how prolific he is as an artist, too,” she said.