Arts

Check out these exhibitions at the ICA in 2024

Discover new paintings, woven tapestries, soft sculptures, and more.

"Temple of Time" by Firelei Báez. Phoebe d'Heurle

Art lovers, gather ’round. There’s something new to get excited about in 2024 at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (ICA). With the announcement of its exhibition schedule for the upcoming year, the harborside museum offers visitors six new installations sitting alongside its stunning permanent collection. Throughout the year and into 2025, visitors can look forward to viewing a new commission by South African artist Igshaan Adams; exhibitions by Dominican Republic-born and New York City-based Firelei Báez and visual artist Charles Atlas; filmmaker Wu Tsang’s immersive video installation re-imagining Moby Dick; and the first solo museum exhibition of Tau Lewis’s found art pieces.

The 2024 ICA schedule:

Jan. 30, 2024 – Dec. 1, 2025 —“Wordplay”
Drawing from the ICA’s permanent collection, Wordplay employs the role of text in visual expression within contemporary art. Exploring the decades-old use of “text art” to ask questions, express political messages, and connect to writers, and cultural icons, the exhibit boasts 35 works, including acquisitions on view for the first time by artists Lorna Simpson, Joe Wardwell, Zanele Muholi, and Rivane Neuenschwander.

Feb. 13, 2024 – Feb. 15, 2025 — Igshaan Adams
Commissioned for the ICA, “Lynloop [Toeing the Line]” is an example of how multidisciplinary artist Igshaan Adams’ woven tapestries connect with his spirituality, family histories, and community narratives from his South African heritage. The exhibit draws on the notion of “desire lines,” explained as those created by pedestrians when they move outside of designated walkways.

Feb. 15 – Aug. 4, 2024 — Wu Tsang’s “Of Whales”
Reimagining Herman Melville’s classic 1851 American novel “Moby-Dick” from the perspective of the sperm whale, Wu Tsang invites viewers on a journey through the depths of a CGI ocean. Thanks to the Unity gaming platform, the real-time video installation loops continuously for a multisensorial experience of undersea life accompanied by a soundscape that fills the entire gallery.

Apr. 4 – Sep. 2, 2024 — Firelei Báez
This is the museum’s first survey dedicated to the richly intricate works of artist Firelei Báez. The exhibition is 40 pieces strong, including new works as well as before-seen paintings, installations, and paper works that explore the Atlantic basin and its complicated (and often incomplete) history. The exhibit will also travel throughout North America to the Vancouver Art Gallery and Des Moines Art Center.

Aug. 22, 2024 – Jan. 26, 2025 — Tau Lewis
Tau Lewis has created a new body of work for her first solo museum exhibition in the U.S. Through hand-sewing, carving, and plaster casting, the self-taught artist transforms found materials into intricately detailed soft sculptures, quilts, masks, and other items, all the while honoring “the transference of energy and emotion that occurs when an object is made by hand.”

Oct. 10, 2024 – Mar. 16, 2025 — Charles Atlas
Somewhere between moving image, dance, and performance, the intimate video portraits by pioneering interdisciplinary artist Charles Atlas come together at the ICA for his first U.S. museum survey. Whether the backdrop is America’s political landscape in the ‘70s or this decade’s acts, the visual exhibition addresses performance and portraiture, gender and sexuality, and collaboration and friendship, and is complemented by costume design, lighting, and décor.