Visual art
SIMONE LEIGH The first-ever comprehensive survey of the work of Simone Leigh arrived at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston this spring, a landmark in the ever-expanding career of one of the country’s most visible artists. The exhibition follows a recent international coup: Leigh and the ICA were deep in planning this show when they decided to submit Leigh in competition as official American representative for the 2022 Venice Biennale, which opened there last April to broad accolades. Leigh’s show in Boston brings almost every element of that powerful display home, with significant additions. Always at issue for Leigh is Black representation and history, which she explores through a variety of media; but ceramics is her first language, and at the heart of any of her exhibitions. Through Sept. 4.Institute Of Contemporary Art Boston, 25 Harbor Shore Drive. 617-4783100, icaboston.org
EDVARD MUNCH: TREMBLING EARTH You can’t think of Munch without your mind immediately turning to “The Scream,” the artist’s 1893 painting that is undeniably among the most famous of all time. But Munch was a revolutionary Modernist in his portrayals of the Norwegian landscape, a shimmering netherworld of dramatic mountains, fjords, and surreal light. This exhibition, conceived with the Munch Museum (Munchmuseet) in Oslo, promises to be the most complete and revelatory display of his work ever to cross the Atlantic. Through Oct. 15. Clark Art Institute. 225 South St., Williamstown. 413458-2303, www.clarkart.edu
I AM SEEN . . . THEREFORE, I AM: ISAAC JULIEN AND FREDERICK DOUGLASS A lush five-channel video by Julien is the point of entry to this exhibition chronicling the prescient vision of Frederick Douglass, who saw the nascent field of photography as a key weapon in the war for American hearts and minds as abolition gained momentum. For white Americans to think of Black people as something other than chattel property, Douglass believed they would first have to see them as such. Julien’s video captures Douglass, played by the British actor Ray Fearon, opining on American injustice and the power of the photographic image to an array of audiences; beyond it, jewel-like displays of historical portraits of Black Americans, dressed in their best finery, give visual fact to Douglass’s words. Through Sept. 24. Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main St., Hartford. 860-278-2670, thewadsworth.org