New York artist Futura 2000, whose aestheticism redefined the visual arithmetic of what constitutes graffiti, is at the center of The Bronx Museum’s upcoming show FUTURA 2000: BREAKING OUT. The exhibit is the creative’s most extensive retrospective to date, spanning his five-decade career across three floors.
BREAKING OUT provides a time capsule into the artist’s multimedia evolution, showcasing his work as a graffiti artist in Brooklyn in the early 1970s to his contemporary abstractions on canvas. The comprehensive curation of his sculptures, drawings, prints, studies, collaborations, and archival paraphernalia in one space drew nearly 1,500 RSVPs for Sunday’s opening event, according to Sara Morgan, Communications Director of the Museum.
“I’ve seen people post on Instagram that they are going to fly to New York just for the purpose of seeing this show,” Morgan said.
“This partnership with Futura is bringing people into the museum who had never been here before but also people who have lived in New York their whole lives,” she said.
Futura made an appearance at the museum, where he met with a swarm of supporters who lined up for autographs. His following likened him to Basquiat, while others deified him to “God” in artist-speak.
“Futura is a legend,” said Bronx-based breakdancer and attendee Ana ‘Rokafella’ Garcia. “This exhibit definitely speaks to my soul, so I’m glad I came.”
The collection tells the story of Futura 2000 as an artist and Leonard Hilton McGurr—the man behind the nom de plume. Housed behind glass are his spray cans and creative collaborations with brands like Nike and Supreme, but also featured are his passport and ID cards from previous livelihoods.
From noon to 3 p.m., gallery-goers participated in museum-organized events and live performances, including scavenger hunts, breakdancing, spoken word poetry, and mono-printing as inspired by the artist. Hosting these programs has been a consistent “resource” for local families, said Patrick Rowe, Director of Education and Public Engagement, insisting that making art is learning it too.
The survey’s title, BREAKING OUT, is a nod towards Futura’s avant-gardist 1980 piece, Break, in which the artist spray-painted over an entire subway car in swathes of colorful forms and striking motifs without lettering— a radical choice to the then graffiti movement. Only a short distance from The Bronx Museum, he would then “bench” in The South Bronx to watch his Break train pass by,” according to the museum’s press release.
Break’s significance was made known throughout the show.
Scavenger hunt winners were given Futura-themed MTA card stickers while a ‘FUTURADOSMIL STATION’ was set up on the lower ground floor in homage to his “boundary-breaking creative practice.”
When asked by a younger fan if he liked graffiti, Futura replied, “I don’t like it. I love it!”
FUTURA 2000: BREAKING OUT is on view at the Bronx Museum from September 8, 2024, through March 30, 2025.
Leave a Reply