FOR 7/25 RSVP ON VIEW TO OCT 16 AT STUDIO MUSEUM HARLEM

AVV/cd set 7/15 #745496

NEW YORK CITY — Art is almost always in dialogue with work that came before it. On view through October 26, The Studio Museum in Harlem presents “RSVP,” the first in a new exhibition series that brings this dialogue to life. “RSVP” pairs a work in the museum’s permanent collection with new work by another artist, created specifically for the exhibition.

The inaugural exhibition features a 1976 work by Senga Nengudi (b 1943) called “RSVP V.” Former artist in residence (2005-06) Rashawn Griffin (b 1980) has created a new work that responds to Nengudi’s original piece. The exhibition is designed to encourage fresh thinking about contemporary art objects with lasting resonance.

Nengudi’s “RSVP V” comes from her series of nylon mesh sculptures, “Repondez s’ il v ous plait.” Negudi created these works, also know as “panty hose pieces” as reflections and expressions of the elasticity and malleability of women’s bodies. A Brooklyn-based artist, Griffin’s work, like Nengudi’s, is marked by emotional use of humble materials, such as food and fiber, and both artists are deeply invested in creating objects from an abstract or concrete art tradition.

For this exhibition, Griffin attached several decorative tassels to the gallery wall to create an abstract “drawing.” While a drawing is conventionally understood as a collection of gestural marks, Griffin’s arrangement of objects will challenge traditional image-making, while echoing Nengudi’s use of textiles.

The artists have commonalities and differences, making them perfect candidates for the RSVP exhibition. Their pairing will evoke thought about the formal and conceptual longevity of Nengudi’s work, and what makes her work, created four years before Griffin was born, relevant in 2008.

The museum is at 144 West 125th Street. For information, www.studiomuseum.org or 212-864-4500.