GAYLETTER

All efforts to describe what it’s like to move through Kerry James Marshall’s retrospective are more or less futile; suffice, words won’t do. If you haven’t yet visited Marshall’s “Mastry”– titled so aptly its many meanings will reach you in subtle and profound ways – then I hope the rock you’ve been living under has heat (…along with food, drink, and other necessary resources). And if it doesn’t you might as well head uptown to stay warm and hydrated at The Met Breuer, where you can see almost 80 of Marshall’s original paintings, the scope of which makes “Mastry,” Marshall’s largest exhibition to date. Also, adjacent to the work by Marshall that constitutes the bulk of “Mastry” is a large room filled with works curated by Marshall himself. This is meant to express the many influences in style and era that inform Marshall’s oeuvre, something I’ve now decided any good retrospective should have.

“Mastry” is many things: expansive, confronting, stunning. It is a timeless ode painted in joy and sorrow by one to many more, a love letter that yearns to “reassert the place of the black figure within the canon of Western painting.” And Marshall does it so successfully; the imperial, white supremacist enamel of said canon simply cannot bear the enormous weight of “Mastry.” Aaand if you’re still reading and not on your way there now — or closed your laptop because this is the 400th writeup you’ve read about Marshall’s retrospective — we have great news: You don’t have to bask in the beautiful blackness of “Mastry” on your own! Head there this Saturday and join a guided tour given by the folks at BOFFO!

BOFFO is a nonprofit that “presents innovative & experimental art, architecture, and design,” and I’m kicking myself for not knowing about this tour the first (or second) time I traversed “Mastry.” Even for the most ambitious art snob, a guide is a good decision, especially by BOFFO, who’s been doing good work for the local art community since 2009. Since then they’ve been “supporting new work and stimulating interdisciplinary dialogues,” but this guided trip through “Mastry” is part of a brand new series of conversations, tours, and studio visits that culminate in monthly field trips. (*Repressed child within freaks out.) So go get those permission slips signed! If you get ‘em in on time, I’ll see you there.

SUGGESTED ADMISSION $25. 3PM. 945 MADISON AVE. NEW YORK, NY.