story

"I think it's an incredibly exciting moment for young people in Boston. This show was delayed by a year due to the pandemic. It is really the perfect..."

"...exhibition for this moment. So we kept the basic framework of sort of being organized around fashion, music, design and then a section on early work and a section called Black Gaze. But I invited Virgil to bring new work into the exhibition. I mean, a year and a half in the..."

"...time of Virgil is like a lifetime for any one of us. The show is a couple thousand square feet smaller than the original in Chicago, but to me, we've edited down and added some pieces that make it more rich, in terms of..."

"...the point of view that I have today in 2021 versus when it started. This work to me is one big work. It evolves to sort of meet the criteria of the time. I think one of the things that I realized..."

"...about Virgil and his process is that he never takes anything for granted. Every single thing that is presented to him is an opportunity to peel it apart, to break it apart, to look at it, to understand how it's made, how it's constructed, what it means..."

"...and then to play with that. So, no detail is left unturned. And I think he sees opportunities for meaning in every single detail of any project, any piece of clothing, a shoe, whatever it is. He..."

"...sees opportunity there to open things up and find new meaning and stick new messages into these objects. So I think that kind of ability to sort of see the spheres, to understand them, and then to use language and context..."

"...to sort of draw out some fundamental elements of both art and sneakers is something that I also see a kind of operation that's at work in many of the objects in the exhibition. There's not like a veil of understanding that's..."

"...the sort of benchmark of the work. What happens when a 17-year-old kid comes to see this exhibit because they know there's Nike shoes in it? And then a seasoned art goer is coming to see what's all the fuss about, and..."

"...they're looking at sculptures or vessels, or they're looking at paintings to sort of view their art history knowledge. What happens when those communities combine? And that, to me, is the benchmark. Through Virgil's vision, you are completely..."

"...immersified into this collage of urban culture. His work is very mind challenging. It makes you think. We've always had free admission for youth, but with +1 membership, we really wanted to take it a step further..."

"...and to something a really deeper ongoing engagement by not just coming as a visitor, but coming as a member. Virgil's work has such deep resonance for young people. There is nothing that he doesn't find a way to bring his..."

"...vision and his creativity and his artistry into. Art doesn't have to be something that you're making a painting or a sculpture. It can be the creativity you bring to the design of a T-shirt or even how you style your outfit when you..."

"...get up in the morning. All of that type of creativity is I think something that young people can find in this exhibition and in Virgil's work. I think people are going to want to up their photography and videography skills. And we have programs that will help people..."

"...do that. And I think also some people might be interested in our Teen Arts Council program, or they might be inspired by him and they might want to go into Artists and Writers Collective. So there's all these different ways that people who may be interested..."

"...in this exhibit can find ways to interact with the museum on multiple levels. You can sign up for +1 online at icaboston.org, and the membership is completely free. +1 membership, we're hoping, is the first step towards..."

"...building this community of young people and building a community of people who just love the arts. These works were made to be a mirror, to sort of be a leaping off point. I'm proud to join the ICA to make it happen."

"I'm excited to see how it can exist within the local community."

Behind the Design: Virgil Abloh x Boston ICA 'Figures of Speech'