Curator Trevor Schoonmaker has given the title “The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp” to his edition of Prospect New Orleans, the just-opened fourth installment of an ambitious art fest that has evolved into a triennial affair. Prospect 4 is a more geographically focused event than the previous edition, the well-received, Franklin Sirmans-curated Prospect 3, “Notes for Now.” But it still scatters across a total of 17 venues, sending viewers in pursuit of such Easter eggs as an art installation nestled among the offerings of a French Quarter antiques store, an artist-designed flag planted on a ferry, and a hidden audio installation that inserts the sounds of non-native birds into a park.
Several concentrations of art do center the show at the bigger venues. So, while I allow more critical thoughts about Schoonmaker’s event to congeal, here are photos from some of the main sites to give a sense of how “The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp” looks and feels.
Contemporary Art Center
Collages with Japanese paper by Maria Berrio. Image: Ben Davis.
Detail of a sculpture by Rina Banerjee, located at the Contemporary Art Center for Prospect 4 New Orleans, “The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp.” Image: Ben Davis.
Margarita Cabrera, Baby Grand Piano (2005). Image: Ben Davis.
Wilson Díaz, Sin título (2011), a painting exploring Colombia’s “narco-aesthetic.” Image: Ben Davis.
Taiyo Kimura, Untitled (Stool for Guard) (2007-2017), a series of human-shaped sculptures that “beckons museum security guards and visitors to rest upon them.” Image: Ben Davis.
Installation view of sculpures by Lavar Munroe. Image: Ben Davis.
Detail of Edgar Cleijne and Ellen Gallagher’s Highway Gothic (2017). Image: Ben Davis.
Alfredo Jaar, One Million Points of Light (2005). Image: Ben Davis.
Pedro Lasch, Weekly Monster (2016-2017), a series of graphics reimagining current affairs through the lens of Frankenstein. Image: Ben Davis.
Another version of Taiyo Kimura’s Untitled (Stool for Guard) (2007-2017). Image: Ben Davis.
Installation by Dave Muller. Image: Ben Davis.
Kader Attia, Halam Tawaaf (2008), a sculpture made of 2,978 folded beer cans, meant to evoke Muslims in prayer. Image: Ben Davis.
Minerva Cuevas, Bitter Sweet – Hershey’s (2015). Image: Ben Davis.
Another version of Taiyo Kimura’s Untitled (Stool for Guard) (2007-2017). Image: Ben Davis.
Abbas Akhavan’s Service (2017), a found image printed on nylon that is unfolded for one minute per day. Image: Ben Davis.
Zina Saro-Wiwa’s “Table Manners” series, “videos of people eating dishes that relate to their local identity.” Image: Ben Davis.
Kiluanji Kia Henda, Redefining the Power III (Series 75 With Miguel Prince) (2011), documenting “friends and artists performing on empty plinths in Angola,” replacing the images of former Portugese rulers. Image: Ben Davis.
Brad Kahlhamer, Super Catcher. Image: Ben Davis.
Another version of Taiyo Kimura’s Untitled (Stool for Guard) (2007-2017), with Jillian Mayer, You’ll Be OK (2014). Image: Ben Davis.
Louisiana State Museum, Old U.S. Mint
Sculpture by Hank Willis Thomas in front of the Ogden Museum. Image: Ben Davis.
Larry Achiampong’s video Sunday’s Best (2016), looking at the influence of “Christian imperialism on the Ashanti tribe.” Image: Ben Davis.
Dario Robleto’s American Seabed, featuring fossilized inner-ear bones from whales, taxidermy butterflies, and the stretched magnetic tape from Bob Dylan’s Desolation Row. Image: Ben Davis.
Installation view of listening station by Dario Robleto, made in collaboration with Lance and April Ledbetter of Dust-to-Digital (2017), featuring eight hours of religious songs recorded from 1901 to 1960. Image: Ben Davis.
Detail of Dario Robleto installation’s Goodbye, Babylon. Image: Ben Davis.
Michael Armitage, The Octopus’s Veil (2016). Image: Ben Davis.
A collage by jazz legend Louis Armstrong, titled Brussells, Belgium/De Radzitsky (1970), his tribute to Belgian collagist Carlos de Radzitsky. Image: Ben Davis.
Installation view of Mardi Gras costumes by Darryl Montana, chief of the Yellow Pocahontas “Hunters” Black “masking” Indian Tribe. Image: Ben Davis.
Sculpture by Rashid Johnson, featuring shea butter, ferns, vinyl records, and a live microphone. Image: Ben Davis.
Satch Hoyt, All Lives Matter (2017). Image: Ben Davis.
Peter Williams, Bitches (2016). Image Ben Davis.
Installation view of Maider López, Under the Walls, demonstrating an artistic intervention that will replace branded insulation on new construction in New Orleans. Image: Ben Davis.
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
Yoko Ono, Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? (1967/1997) on the exterior of the Ogden Museum. Image: Ben Davis.
John Akomfrah’s three-channel installation, Precarity (2017), about the life of jazz musician Charles “Buddy” Bolden. Image: Ben Davis.
Installation by Miss Pussycat. Image: Ben Davis.
Andrea Chung, Spectre (2017), a cyanotype on watercolor paper depicting the lionfish, an invasive species. Image: Ben Davis.
Paintings by Katherine Bradford. Image: Ben Davis.
Patricia Kaersenhout, No Names Please!. Image: Ben Davis.
Donna Conlon and Jonathan Harker’s video The Voice Adrift (2017), which follows the journey of a plastic bottle. Image: Ben Davis.
New Orleans Museum of Art
The New Orleans Museum of Art. Image: Ben Davis.
Barkley L. Hendricks, Triple Portrait: World Conqueror (2011). Image: Ben Davis.
Signage at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Image: Ben Davis.
![Barley L. Hendricks, Innocence & Friend (1977) [left] with a work in the New Orleans Museum of Art's "Early Renaissance" section. Image: Ben Davis.](https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2017/11/barkley-l-hendricks-and-medieval-1024x683.jpg)
Barkley L. Hendricks, Innocence & Friend (1977) [left] with a work in the New Orleans Museum of Art’s “Early Renaissance” section. Image: Ben Davis.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby, I Still Face You (2015). Image: Ben Davis.
Alexis Esquivel, The Death of Gulliver (2015). Image: Ben Davis.
Crescent Park
Radcliffe Bailey, Vessel (2017). Image: Ben Davis.
Interior detail of Radcliffe Bailey, Vessel (2017). Image: Ben Davis.
Hồng-Ân Trương, To Speak a Language (2012). Image: Ben Davis.
Jennifer Odem, Rising Tables (2017). Image: Ben Davis.
First part of a three-part text work by Runo Lagomarsino, If You Don’t Know What The South Is, It’s Simply Because You Are From The North. The phrase by the Swedish artist is meant to question the relative meaning of “North” and “South” in a global context. Image: Ben Davis.
Second part of a three-part text work by Runo Lagomarsino, If You Don’t Know What The South Is, It’s Simply Because You Are From The North. Image: Ben Davis.
Third part of a three-part text work by Runo Lagomarsino, If You Don’t Know What The South Is, It’s Simply Because You Are From The North. Image: Ben Davis.
Prospect 4: The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp is on view at various locations across New Orleans until February 25.