Artists on Artists: Glenn Ligon

Glenn Ligon’s 2015 sculptureUntitled (America, America), recently acquired for MOCA’s permanent collection, pairs two erratically flickering neon signs, each reading “America.” The on-and-off flashing embodies the persistent sense that the United States, for all of its “dark deeds,” is nonetheless a “shining light.” Placing the sculpture face down on the floor, Ligon makes the subject, America, hard to see and hard to understand. Such ambiguity is at the heart of Ligon’s work. Ligon will speak about work currently featured in the exhibitionSelections from MOCA’s Permanent Collection. His lecture is part of Artists on Artists, a new series that builds upon MOCA’s tradition of examining works and exhibitions through the voice of the artist.