Jean‑Michel Basquiat: Signs of Past, Present and Future gathers an incisive selection of Basquiat’s works that trace the arc of his creative journey through a constellation of paintings, drawings, and collages, the exhibition foregrounds the artist’s singular lexicon of visual signs: skeletal figures, cryptic script, crowned heads, fragmented anatomy, and layered textures that conjure multiple historical and cultural strata.
Temporal Layers
• Past: Works rooted in Basquiat’s graffiti alter‑ego “SAMO,” capturing the existential angst of 1970s Lower Manhattan.
• Present: Audacious studio works from the ’80s underscore his engagement with motifs of race, celebrity, capitalism, and mortality.
• Future: Pieces that resonate with prophetic intensity, anticipating cultural conversations on identity, power, and social justice that dominate today.
Basquiat’s art thrives on the tension between coded messages and raw immediacy—bold colors interrupted by scrawled text, anatomical studies colliding with street-style abstraction. His hallmark crown motif recurs as a defiant claim to visibility and historical importance, while rhythmic repetition of words such as “Samo” or “history” acts as both personal talisman and cultural interrogation.
“Signs of Past, Present and Future” is no mere historical survey—it is a living, breathing testament to Basquiat’s enduring relevance. His coded symbols and urgent gestures continue to offer powerfully layered insights into the fractures and hopes of our times, reminding viewers that reinterpretation remains as vital as creation.
