Jeffrey Deitch is happy to current Winging It, a charming exhibition of latest work by previous Juxtapoz cowl artist, Nina Chanel Abney that redefines spirituality, resilience, and fashionable survival. Identified for her vibrant use of shade and layered narratives, Abney delves into the improvisational methods by which folks navigate life’s uncertainties—by means of faith, astrology, social media affirmations, and even the ever present, but usually dismissed, aesthetic of aspirational decor. By vibrant, massive scale work, works on paper, sculptures, and an immersive set up that debuts Abney’s first neon work, Winging It interrogates the blurred boundaries between sacred and secular, critiquing the commodification of perception whereas celebrating resilience, humor, and flexibility. The exhibition examines how people assemble which means in a world the place conventional frameworks usually falter, reimagining spirituality as one thing versatile, unstructured, and private—qualities that resonate with the expertise of “winging it” by means of life, particularly when the formal solutions and comforts of organized religion really feel distant or irrelevant.
The title, Winging It, captures the essence of navigating a chaotic world and not using a clear information, nodding to the adaptability and creativity required to piece collectively religious and emotional sustenance from fragmented sources. Abney juxtaposes symbols of conventional faith—angels, halos, and altars— with fashionable motifs, mixing the sacred with the secular. Central to the exhibition is the concept that coping mechanisms, from TikTok mantras to “Dwell, Love, Snort” indicators, provide each consolation and scrutiny. These mass-produced artifacts, usually categorized as “cheugy,” embody the commercialization of hope. Abney transforms them into cultural touchstones that reveal the aspirational, but deeply human, effort to seek out solace in a fractured world.
Abney reimagines classical spiritual portray, investigating the stress between religion, efficiency, and societal expectation. A hanging acrylic on canvas triptych impressed by Tyra Banks’ iconic “we had been all rooting for you!” outburst serves because the exhibition’s emotional anchor. This portray explores how techniques of validation—be they spiritual establishments, astrology memes, or motivational tradition— oscillate between encouragement and judgment, reflecting the precarious steadiness between assist and condemnation. The exhibition’s reimagined spiritual icons reinvent acquainted symbols to replicate a extra inclusive and accessible spirituality. This imaginative and prescient doesn’t promise all of the solutions or an easy path; as a substitute, it means that spirituality could be a fluid, evolving observe, simply as life itself is.
Abney additional reinterprets conventional spiritual scenes with a contemporary, secular spin in her vibrant, multi-panel works on paper. In Breaking Bread, a reimagining of The Final Supper, a traditional scene turns into a vigorous Black household reunion. A great deal of Grace depicts figures with vivid yellow halos, akin to the Virgin Mary, collaborating within the mundane act of washing garments in a laundromat. By grounding spiritual imagery within the every single day, Abney celebrates the sacredness of group and shared resilience, particularly for many who won’t really feel welcomed by conventional areas of worship. In The Pursuit of Happiness, a big sculptural piece, a determine surrounded by candles holds an American flag in a scene paying homage to a vigil. Every candle, nonetheless, represents a side of the American Dream—wealth, freedom, equality, security—that individuals would possibly nonetheless be praying for. It’s a somber reminder that for a lot of, these “goals” stay aspirational. With items like this, the exhibition asks viewers to contemplate the place and the way they discover which means, connection, and hope when conventional constructions have confirmed exclusionary.
On the coronary heart of Winging It is a monumental reredos-inspired set up (historically an ornamental display screen or backdrop behind an altar), anchored by a vinyl mural and an animated neon signal depicting Jesus making a rainbow—a playful image of inclusivity, reclaiming religious imagery for all. The set up is accompanied by a sequence of letter board indicators, a nod to the church indicators generally seen in neighborhoods throughout America. Not like the hateful or exclusionary messages that some indicators show, usually condemning homosexuality or those that don’t conform, Abney’s letter boards provide fashionable, snappy mantras from popular culture and Black vernacular knowledge. These phrases seem throughout the boards, reworking on a regular basis sayings into religious affirmations. In Abney’s fingers, these boards change into icons of a extra fashionable spirituality—one which’s open, affirming, and stuffed with wit.
By her dynamic works, Abney invitations viewers to embrace imperfection and reimagine spirituality as an adaptive, deeply private act. Whether or not by means of spiritual iconography or the playful exploration of mass-market tradition, Winging It celebrates the messy, improvisational technique of discovering which means and energy in an unpredictable world. “Winging It” is remodeled from an off-the-cuff phrase right into a philosophy about discovering the sacred in uncertainty, and the consolation of group within the absence of clear solutions. By embracing “winging it,” Abney encourages viewers to let go of the necessity for management, to make peace with life’s unpredictability, and to create private which means by means of resilience, connection, and pleasure. This exhibition invitations viewers to replicate on the place they discover solace and hope, particularly in a world the place establishments that when offered refuge now really feel out of contact. By recasting unusual moments as acts of religion, Abney transforms spirituality into one thing wholly human and deeply private—a common invitation to attach, replicate, and discover one’s personal manner of dealing with life’s challenges, like a secular sermon with a wink.
