St. Louis is about to get a serious dose of global art, courtesy of the Counterpublic triennial. They've just dropped the list of 47 artists and collectives for their third edition, running from September 12 to December 12. So, if you're looking for a reason to visit Missouri's second-largest city, mark your calendar.
Time for a Coyote
The curatorial dream team—Jordan Carter, Raphael Fonseca, Stefanie Hessler, Nora N. Khan, and Wanda Nanibush—have titled this year's exhibition "Coyote Time." Which, if you're wondering, is inspired by a piece from artist Alice Bucknell. Apparently, it's a concept that involves working across different materials, time-based media, and all those shiny new technologies.
Expect big ideas, because these artists are tackling everything from civic life and displacement to environmental woes and how computing has basically taken over our daily existence. Because apparently that's where we are now.
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Start Your News DetoxThe lineup includes some heavy hitters you might recognize, like Glenn Ligon, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Rebecca Belmore, and Nicholas Galanin. They're also honoring two artists who have passed on but left significant legacies: painter Juanita McNeely (who died in 2023) and Fluxus founder Benjamin Patterson (2016). A nice touch, really.
And for those keeping score, many of these artists are having a banner year. Cooper Jacoby and Malcolm Peacock are also showing at the Whitney Biennial. Guadalupe Rosales and Carolina Caycedo are heading to the Venice Biennale. Li Yi-Fan is off to the Carnegie International. Even Frieze New York is getting in on the action with an installation and performance by Kite in May, in collaboration with Counterpublic. Busy, busy.
Major commissioned works by Glenn Ligon and Rebecca Belmore will anchor the Mississippi Riverfront, which sounds like a pretty picturesque gallery. Another key spot is The Ville, a historically Black neighborhood in North St. Louis, featuring art by Tony Cokes, Margaret Honda, Dail Chambers, the People’s Art and Recreation Center, and Timmy Simmonds, who’s created a series about the history of Sumner High School.
James McAnally, Counterpublic’s executive and artistic director, sums it up: a global focus, deeply rooted in St. Louis. He says artists from local neighborhoods and the Global South will bring a diverse range of perspectives to topics like civic structures, migration, identity, and technology. Because nothing says "global conversation" like art in the heartland.
The Full Roster (Because You Asked)
- Alan Nakagawa
- Ali Eyal
- Alice Bucknell
- Anika Todd
- Benjamin Patterson
- Brianna Leatherbury
- Carolina Caycedo
- Chris Carl
- Chris Curreri
- Cooper Jacoby
- Dail Chambers
- Emma McCormick-Goodhart
- Glenn Ligon
- Guadalupe Rosales
- Inès Kivimäki
- Jamie Lee Harris
- Jean-Marc Bullet and Céline Semaan
- Juanita McNeely
- Kite
- Li Yi-Fan
- Lisa Alvarado and Joshua Abrams
- Lynne Smith
- Malcolm Peacock
- Margaret Honda
- Max Hooper Schneider
- Mee Jey
- Nicholas Galanin
- Occupy Vacancy (Brianna McIntyre, André Fuqua)
- People’s Art and Recreation Center (PARC) (Christopher C. Loss)
- Petrit Halilaj
- Rachel Youn
- Rebecca Belmore
- Rirkrit Tiravanija with Soph Anderson and CB Roman
- Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch
- Sandra Brewster
- Sebastián Llovera
- Sissel Tolaas
- Stephen Andrews
- Timmy Simonds
- Tom Burr
- Tony Cokes
- Tromarama (Febie Babyrose, Herbert Hans, Ruddy Hatumena)
- Won Ju Lim
- Ximena Garrido-Lecca
- Yatika Fields
- Vaughn Davis Jr.
