Memory and Matter: Personal and Collective Histories

This floor will feature artists whose work engages with memory and history. At the heart of this installation are galleries dedicated to artists Anselm Kiefer and William Kentridge, whose works use materials and processes to examine the psychic and physical legacies of nationalism and colonialism. Videos of the artists as well as extended contextual timelines and wall texts incorporate the artists’ own words and provide insight into the historical events that shaped their work. The galleries dedicated to Kentridge are being designed by the artist’s longtime collaborator, stage and exhibition designer Sabine Theunissen, to create a unique, contemplative space for audiences to immerse themselves in the poignant works.

Additionally, galleries on this floor will highlight artists who consider memory from a range of individual and communal perspectives. Among the featured artists are Louise Bourgeois, Jasper Johns, Shirin Neshat, Louise Nevelson, Gerhard Richter and Andy Warhol. Their works reflect a spectrum of conceptual and technical approaches, with found materials emerging as a throughline to convey layered experiences and associations. To encourage further reflection, Floor 6 will include large sitting areas with audio of Bay Area poets and creatives offering their own responses to objects on view, illuminating the ongoing relevance of the featured works.