Miranda July: New Society
Osservatorio Fondazione Prada, Milan
From March 7th until October 14th, 2024
Curated by Mia Locks, Miranda July: New Society traces three decades of the career of the American artist, director, and writer Miranda July, spanning from the 1990s to the present, through short films, performances, and installations. Hosted by the Fondazione Prada, specifically at the Osservatorio spaces in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, the exhibition includes the new work F.A.M.I.L.Y., Falling Apart Meanwhile I Love You, a multichannel installation documenting the year-long collaboration between July and seven performers on Instagram. This project serves as a starting point to explore themes present in other performative and collaborative works by the artist. The common thread connecting all of Miranda July’s projects, despite their apparent diversity, is their gradual shift towards introspection and the sublime. As Locks emphasizes, “July’s work explores a range of human relationships and forms of intimacy, challenging established hierarchies and conventional power dynamics. The artist takes a decidedly feminist stance that permeates the various media she has utilised throughout her career”. The exhibition is complemented by a retrospective of the artist’s filmography at the Cinema Godard of the Fondazione Prada, featuring three feature films: Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005), The Future (2011), and Kajillionaire (2020), along with a selection of short films and unreleased works on the big screen.
Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, Portland, Oregon.
Courtesy Miranda July Studio.
in F.A.M.I.L.Y. (Ceiling), 2024.
Courtesy of Miranda July Studio.
and Lisa Ziegenfuss in F.A.M.I.L.Y. (Cloud), 2024.
Courtesy of Miranda July Studio.
On the first floor of the Osservatorio, there is a substantial documentation of her early performances in punk venues, progressing to more renowned ones such as Love Diamond (1998-2000), The Swan Tool (2000-2003), Things We Don’t Understand and Definitely Are Not Going to Talk About (2006-2007), and New Society (2015). On the second floor, F.A.M.I.L.Y. is displayed along with two other collaborative projects: I’m the President, Baby (2018) and Services (2020). The exhibition also features a reiteration of Learning to Love You More (2000-2007), an online project in collaboration with Harrell Fletcher, involving seventy assignments given to the public and uploaded online. Assignment number 43, (Create an exhibition with works found at your parents’ house), completed by a Milanese woman specifically for this exhibition, will be presented as part of the showcase. In conjunction with the exhibition itself, Fondazione Prada presents a new illustrated publication from the Quaderni series, including a conversation between Miranda July and Cindy Sherman.
For further information fondazioneprada.org
