New MOCAD Exhibits Feature Work by Photographer Leni Sinclair & Other Local Artists

The Detroit museum is debuting four new exhibitions on Feb. 5
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Leni Sinclair
MC5 band member Wayne Kramer in Ann Arbor, B&W photograph, 1969, by Leni Sinclair // Courtesy of the artist and MOCAD

The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit unveils four new exhibits today as part of its winter 2021 programming. The showcases include photographer Leni Sinclair’s first American museum solo exhibition, a group exhibit that explores the duality of creativity, and exhibits that spotlight local literary arts initiative Black Art Library and community media organization Detroit Narrative Agency.

On display through April 18, Leni Sinclair: Motor City Underground features a collection of the Detroit photographer and activist’s lesser-seen work. Sinclair has been covering radical movements in Detroit since the ’60s, capturing everything from the anti-racist protests of 1967 to John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s free concert in the city in 1971, and was named a Kresge Eminent Artist in 2016 for her devotion to art and activism.

To coincide with the exhibit, MOCAD and Foggy Notion Books are releasing a more than 400-page monograph of Sinclair’s work. On Feb. 6, the museum and publisher will hold a virtual roundtable discussion with Sinclair and independent curators Cary Loren and Lorraine Wild, who worked together on the monograph.

Leni Sinclair - MOCAD
Public display of poem by Medgar Evers B&W photograph, undated image, by Leni Sinclair // Courtesy of the artist and MOCAD

Along with Motor City Underground, MOCAD will debut an exhibit called Dual Vision. Running through Aug. 8, the show features 20 projects produced by 40 artists who worked in pairs. Each artist lives in or is connected to Detroit. Dual Vision showcases a range of disciplines, including painting, sculpture, and sound, fiber, and lens-based media.

The museum will host a public roundtable on Feb. 20 to discuss Dual Vision. During the event, those who organized the exhibit will talk about how the show came together and how the collaborative exhibition-making process works.

Black Art Library, an exhibit that highlights rare publications on Black artists, and Detroit Narrative Agency: Radical Remedies, a multimedia showcase featuring short videos that explore resilience in the time we’re living in, will also be unveiled. You can read more about each of these exhibits, which run through April 18, here.

For more information, visit mocadetroit.org.