OBJECTS AS SPACE

Nari Ward reimagines everyday objects, transforming mundane materials into open-ended assemblages that reconfigure memory, temporal rhythms, and the materiality of space. His installations produce collective experiences where viewers encounter the object as the environment.

One of his most iconic works, Amazing Grace (1993), was created during his residency at The Studio Museum in Harlem in response to the AIDS crisis and drug epidemic. For this installation, Ward gathered more than 365 discarded baby strollers—commonly used by the homeless population in Harlem to transport their belongings—and bound them with fire hoses from an abandoned fire station in Harlem. The piece featured a continuous loop of Mahalia Jackson’s gospel rendition of "Amazing Grace," evoking themes of redemption and hope. The work has been reinstalled in various locations, including the New Museum in 2013 and 2019, and in several locations across Europe, with its meaning evolving based on the context and community in which it is presented.

Ward uses the language of materiality and objects as space to evoke and preserve overlooked mythologies. The works reframe collective histories and offer sites to imagine new pathways forward.