“Dual Vision” at MOCAD Puts Detroit Artists From Across Generations In The Same Room

COVID-19 has shifted the nature of collaboration, but it hasn’t made it impossible. 

That reality is demonstrated in the exhibition “Dual Vision,” currently on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) through August 8th.

“[Dual Vision] tells the story of Detroit and how much folks here have created networks to sustain the city.” — Jova Lynne, curator

Courtesy of MOCAD

Curated by Jova Lynne — her first since returning to the cultural institution as Senior Curator last September — the multidisciplinary installation features a diverse collection of works by Detroit artists ranging from emerging to established and spanning across generations. 

“We have artists who were taught and influenced by each other. For example, Tylonn Sawyer and Tony Rave,” says Lynne, who worked alongside a team of fellow artists and advisers on the exhibit. “We have artists who had never met before but whose technique is in the same vernacular like Gisela McDaniel and Martha Mysko as well as artists who have been in community together but haven’t had the opportunity to make together, such as Nate Mullen and Sterling Toles. It’s a wide spectrum and celebration of what I think Detroit has sort of created and continues to thrive on.” 

Listen: MOCAD curator Jova Lynne discusses the museum’s Detroit-centric exhibition “Dual Vision”:

This collaborative building and connecting artists across disciplines is also an appreciation salute to the Cass Corridor arts movement and its influence on the creative fabric of MOCAD. 

Lynne shares that the original concept of creating projects between artists who came out of the Cass Corridor era was presented by Kathryn Brackett Luchs, a Cass Corridor artist and documentarian, about a year ago. In the spirit of artists working together, the idea evolved to the current presentation featuring 40 artists across the state who worked in pairs to create 20 individual works.

Through visual language that explores thoughts on the natural, ritual practices and contemporary art humor, the exhibition examines how art collaborations shape artistic landscapes and welcomes a conversation about creating relationships that may have never existed before. 

“[Dual Vision] tells the story of Detroit and how much folks here have created networks to sustain the city and self, and use these different interpretations to speak to their own identities and experiences,” says Lynne.

“Dual Vision” is now on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit through August 8th. Admission is free but donations are encouraged.