Mark Bradford: Spiderman

July 29 – November 27, 2016 - The exhibition is reminiscent of and, indeed, provoked by the raw, often homophobic and misogynistic rants of 1980s standup comedy acts—particularly Eddie Murphy’s controversial 1983 concert film Delirious. Having seen Murphy’s act in person, Bradford noted the seismic shift in 1980s comedic vernacular in which racist and sexist commentary entered the mainstream. In Bradford’s work, it soon becomes apparent that the jokes reveal a tense commentary on the moment society begins to accept ignorance and misinformation in the public domain, and the audience’s laughter takes on an eerie countenance.