It seems like every city has an art week these days — but what better way to celebrate its art scene? Atlanta Art Week (AAW) returns for its third edition this year, with programming by dozens of organizations across the city through October 6. AAW has become a magnet for out-of-towners: Organizations like New York-based Aperture and Idaho- and California-based OCHI Gallery are featured participants in this year’s edition. Despite a lack of widespread coverage, Atlanta’s art scene is in a golden era. There is almost too much to see, but no matter how you choose to schedule your week, you’re bound to have a good time. As our Freaknik celebrations of the ‘80s and ‘90s showed, if there’s one thing Atlanta knows how to do well, it’s how to throw a party.
Artist Talk for Namwon Choi: 248 Miles
Museum of Contemporary Art, Georgia, 75 Bennett St, Suite M1, Buckhead, Georgia
October 2, 6pm
Namwon Cho’s solo exhibition 248 Miles at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Georgia, marks a significant development in her studio practice. A classically trained Korean painter, the artist is known for her compound compositions comprised of photorealistic highway landscapes and rectilinear abstract elements, usually displayed as panels mounted on walls. The traffic- and construction signage-inspired artworks in this exhibition, however, are all freestanding sculptures. Join the artist for a discussion of her practice, or attend the exhibition during museum hours to see it for yourself — it’s on view through the 12th.
Opening of …an Atlanta Biennial…
The Temporary Art Center, 405 N Angier Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, Georgia
October 3, 7–11pm
…an Atlanta Biennial… is the third large-scale exhibition produced by the Temporary Art Center (TAC), a curatorial project founded in 2018 by local artist Scott Ingram. An independent curatorial project, it plays with the trappings of a biennial, such as a grand yet impermanent exhibition space and star-studded artist roster, without the constraints associated with being a formalized institution. This exhibition brings together the work of more than 30 Atlanta-based artists, including Lonnie Holley, Jackson Markovic, María Korol, and Shawn Campbell, and is on view through November 3.
Artist Talk for Cowpea Consciousness
Ochi Gallery, 680 North Ave Northeast, Atlanta, Georgia
October 4, 7pm
Cowpea Consciousness, a solo exhibition of new figurative paintings by Los Angeles-based artist Hana Ward, expands upon the artist’s exploration of the complexities of identity as informed by Black familial histories and the cycles of the natural world. Ward meditates on the delicious cowpea plant and its rich history as a symbol of abundance, luck, and prosperity. Also known as the black-eyed pea, cowpeas have historically been referred to as “the mortgage lifter” and “the poor man’s bank” for their ability to enrich soil and improve the land’s yield. This pop-up exhibition is only on view for the duration of AAW, so be sure to take the time to view these paintings either before or after the artist talk.
Welcome reception and book signing for Aperture at AAW
Buckhead Village, 286 Buckhead Avenue, Buckhead, Georgia
October 4, 6–8pm
For three days only, Aperture will present an installation of colorful photographs hovering between art and fashion by Arielle Bobb-Willis to accompany Keep the Kid Alive (2024), the artist’s first monograph. Also on view will be select prints and limited editions from Aperture’s print program, including Zanele Muholi, Jamel Shabazz, and Hank Willis Thomas. Join the artist and Aperture Executive Director Sarah Meister for a chance to check out new limited-edition prints and books while connecting with fellow artists and photography fans.
The Goat Farm, 1200 Foster St NW, Atlanta, GA
October 5, 5pm
Without a doubt, the largest event taking place during this year’s AAW is SITE. This one-night event explores the titular concept as a place of physical construction, a digital space, a location for tailor-made artworks, and more. Occupying the entirety of the Goat Farm’s 12-acre campus, notable elements of this event include the premiere of “Another World Is Possible,” a 6000-square-foot interactive exhibition featuring more than 20 collaborators engaging in ideas of world-building and technology; Lauren Tate Baeza’s film series the end is near, the end is the beginning, a presentation of video art by women artists of African descent; as well as dance performances by glo.
