SEATTLE, WA.- This fall, the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington will present two major solo exhibitions by pioneering artists A.K. Burns and Tala Madani, complemented by two focused presentations of works from the Henry’s extensive collection.

A.K. Burns applies a feminist, queer lens across video, sculpture, photography, and installation. What is Perverse is Liquid, the first comprehensive Northwest presentation by the New York-based artist, includes works from the Negative Space series (2015–23), a multi-part film project that explores the intersections of gender, labor, and ecology within speculative fiction narratives. Tala Madani takes the next steps in her practice with an all-new, commissioned presentation. The exhibition highlights the Iranian artist’s provocative and often darkly humorous paintings, animations, and drawings that explore themes of gender, communication, and structures of power.

These large-scale exhibitions will be complemented by two exhibitions highlighting works from the Henry’s collection: Overexposures: Photographs from the Henry Collection and the first of two focused presentations of new acquisitions. Ongoing exhibitions include Lucy Kim: Mutant Optics, which fuses printmaking and biological media; Christine Sun Kim’s Ghost(ed) Notes, a newly commissioned mural that explores the social dimensions and dynamics of sound; and Henry Offsite at Volunteer Park, which features the sculptural work of Chloë Bass.

Together, these exhibitions center art and artists, amplify diverse and often underrepresented voices, and offer immersive experiences that delve into significant contemporary issues.

EXHIBITION OVERVIEWS

A.K. Burns: What is Perverse is Liquid
September 7, 2024 – May 2025

A.K. Burns, a New York-based artist, explores feminist and queer perspectives through diverse mediums including video, sculpture, and installation. Burns’s exhibition at the Henry focuses on the intersections of landscapes, human bodies, and water, particularly the Negative Space series (2015-23), which draws inspiration from science fiction to challenge societal norms and power dynamics. The concept of "negative space" symbolizes a fertile ground for restructuring social relationships and fostering agency. The exhibition features three video installations—Living Room (2017), Leave No Trace (2019), and What is Perverse is Liquid (2023)—creating immersive environments with characters performed by members of Burns's queer community. Additional works in photography, collage, and sculpture expand upon themes of environmental vulnerability and the relationships that marginalized communities hold with space. Throughout the exhibition, animate and inanimate entities coalesce into a dynamic presence and possibilities for transformation emerge from traditionally marginalized perspectives.

Tala Madani
October 19, 2024 – August 2025

Tala Madani (b. 1981, Tehran, Iran) is set to unveil her inaugural solo exhibition in Washington State, focusing on themes of mark-making, symbolic use, and the profound influence of language on communication and power structures. Known for her exploration of contemporary life's complexities, Madani's art often portrays human figures in their most vulnerable, violent, and perplexed states, blending ribald humor with critical insight. Her characters and their detailed environments evoke a dreamlike realm, often employing projected light to illuminate her paintings and animations, which explore both brilliance and revelation. At the Henry, Madani will expand her practice with mural-like paintings, film-strip animations, and a preview of a forthcoming feature-length film, offering visitors a multi-sensory encounter with her fantastical imagery that questions the artificiality of presentation and uncanniness of her subjects.

Overexposures: Photographs from the Henry Collection
November 2, 2024 – March 2025

This presentation explores the complex role of light in photography, challenging its traditional association with clarity and truth. Highlighting photographs from the Henry’s collection, the exhibition examines how light can obscure, obliterate, and alter subjects rather than merely illuminate them. Artists like Karen Truax, Manuel Lucero, Aneta Grzeszykowska, and Arthur S. Siegel manipulate light to actively shape and frame scenes, revealing deeper truths about vulnerability, concealment, and the complexities of perception. By exploring instances where light burns out, blinds, or overexposes, these artworks provoke reflection on the constructed nature of photographic truth and the dynamics of power, performance, and perspective within visual representation.

Recent Acquisitions in the Henry Collection
November 2, 2024 – March 2025

This presentation offers a selection of extraordinary artworks recently acquired for the Henry’s permanent collection. Artworks include painting, sculpture, and works on paper that address themes of the body. Including both figural works and pieces that are suggestive of bodily forms, the works consider conditions and experiences of power, marginality, and vulnerability as well as interior psychological landscapes.