Nari Ward: Lazarus

Nari Ward's Lazarus, 2019, is a centerpiece of the new exhibition "Nari Ward: Home of the Brave" open at the Vilcek Foundation from May 31, 2022 through February 3, 2023.

Ward discusses the intent of the work, which uses thousands of shoelaces inserted into the gallery’s walls to frame selected words from Emma Lazarus’ poem, The New Colossus and how the process of installation is a vital part of how this meaning is conveyed and experienced: “When I was working with the laces, it was really important that they be in the wall; that it was part of the architecture…. [Y]our relationship to the work within the space has something to do with how legible the work itself is.”

"Nari Ward: Home of the Brave" turns a critical lens on the values espoused in iconic American symbols, including the American flag and the Statue of Liberty. The individual works invite viewers to question how concepts of democracy, liberty, and belonging are experienced by immigrants, Black people, and other historically under-represented communities.

Ward was born in Jamaica and immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 12; the family settled in Brooklyn, New York. Ward has lived in the New York City area ever since, earning his BA at Hunter College and his MFA at Brooklyn College. He became a U.S. citizen in 2011. Ward received the Vilcek Prize in Fine Arts in 2017 for his body of found-object assemblage artwork that invites both public discourse and intimate dialogue on topics including race, poverty, and Black and Caribbean diasporic identities.

After the Vilcek Foundation acquired Lazarus as an addition to the Art by Immigrant Artists collecting area of the Vilcek Art Collection, Ward was invited to speak about the piece and the inspiration behind it on camera. "Nari Ward: Home of the Brave" is open to the public at the Vilcek Foundation. Plan your visit here: https://vilcek.org/events/nari-ward-home-of-the-brave/