Adrian Piper is one of the most transformative conceptual artists of our time. Through provocative, often witty works that span artistic disciplines, she incisively and unapologetically addresses issues of race, gender, xenophobia, and social engagement, challenging viewers to confront truths about their own biases and broader systemic injustices. Piper blurs the line between her professional and personal lives, drawing on lived experiences of racism, sexism, and institutional marginalization. Works in her Everything series, for example, repeat the phrase “Everything will be taken away” across photocopies, performances, sculptures, and chalk, among other media. The phrase speaks to “the illusion of community,” as Piper described, which can range from paradoxical racial categories misleadingly assigned to her, to hostilities she encountered in legal and educational institutions. The mantra is both personal and political.

–Daniel Mauro, from the Glenstone Field Guide