Art is for everybody.
This is the personal slogan of the late pop graffiti artist Keith Haring– well known for his stylized works characterized by bold, cartoonish figures, objects, and strokes– that lays the foundation for many of his works and projects. Wanting a larger audience to be able to access his art, Haring first started creating his works with a piece of chalk on empty poster boards in the New York City subway. Even after acclaiming fame, Haring still preached that people anywhere should be able to see his art, creating over 50 public murals containing social critiques and messaging. After his AIDS diagnosis in 1988, Haring established The Keith Haring Foundation, an organization to destigmatize, research, and spread awareness about the disease.
Assembled by Sarah Loyer, the curator of The Broad Museum in Los Angeles, the Walker’s exhibition follows Haring’s impactful ten-year career. Keith Haring also has two other current exhibitions at The Stanley Museum of Art in Iowa City, Iowa, and at the Nakamura Keith Haring exhibition in Yamanashi, Japan.
The Walker’s exhibition sprawls three floors and contains around 40 works, ranging from artwork on objects, industrial tarps, canvas, paper, pottery and clothing. The exhibit includes many videos and photographs highlighting Haring’s artistic processes, animations and public works. Chronologically following his career, each room explores a chapter of his life, delving into the more profound inspirations and historical events he was inspired and based his work on.
The exhibit’s interactiveness is one of its strong suits; each section contains at least one or two videos depicting Haring’s process or public work. A specific example that stood out was in a corner at the beginning of the show, with walls plastered with flyers and three TVs playing videos. Visitors can listen to the videos Haring himself recorded with the provided headphones.
Visual intrigue was kept in mind throughout the gallery, each room dedicating at least one wall to add a splash of color or sprawling pattern. In particular, near the middle of the walkthrough, the room housing Haring’s Day-Glo works from his 1982 Shafrazi Gallery Exhibition was painted with pink and orange stripes to complement the fluorescent colors used. Strategic ultraviolet lighting also brought out the vividness of the neon colors used in the works. The set-up mimics Haring’s vision for the original gallery.
Some of Haring’s most profound work is stationed near the exhibit’s end, prominently illustrating his views and activism on politics, capitalism, sexuality and religion. While many of his pieces throughout his career already hold a lot of hidden messaging and advocacy, these later paintings solely focus on more specific issues and more explicitly express the meaning he wanted to impress on viewers. Many of the works in this particular room left a lasting impression.
The final section of the Gallery delves into Haring’s battle with AIDS and the legacy he wished to leave behind. The exhibition incorporated Haring’s personal thoughts and quotes: “Amazing how many things one can produce if you’ve lived long enough. I mean, I’ve barely created 10 years of serious work. Imagine 50 years…I would love to live to be 50 years old. Imagine…hardly seems possible.” Alongside this quote was a work titled Unfinished Painting. The piece is composed of purple paint with Haring’s signature bold patterns in the top left corner that slowly fade out, dripping down until only a blank canvas remains.
Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody leads visitors on an extraordinary journey, highlighting Haring’s short but impactful career. Portraying him accurately to the best of their abilities, they don’t shy away from pointing out some of his faults in cultural exotification and appropriation but also don’t take away from his accomplishments and influential activism. Beautifully showcasing just a slice of Haring’s story, audiences will leave with a beautiful visual experience and a new understanding of Haring’s impactful life and work.
The Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody exhibition at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis is open until Sep. 8. Admission is $18 for adults, $12 for students, and free for anyone under 18. Tickets can be reserved here.
