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On View February 28, 2026 - July 26, 2026

Two angular metal figurines with detailed faces and headpieces are connected by a chain, with additional chains hanging from their heads and waists. The figure on the left represents a female and the one on the right a male. They are affixed onto a dark rectangular base, placed in front of a plain grey backdrop.

As an invocation of muscularity and the colloquial shorthand used especially among Black Americans for “showing off,” Flex intends all the puns. It represents masculinity as something for which manhood is not the equivalent, but rather as a dynamic form of creative expression available to everyone, regardless of one’s gender. As its centerpiece, Flex features a historic Yoruba-style Ogboni emblem depicting a male and female figure bound together. Both figures are bearded, a shared masculine attribute that captures this exhibition’s investigation of masculinity as, indeed, a flexible practice. Additionally, the two figures are linked by a chain, a symbol of connection that embodies Flex’s transatlantic framework: a survey of interconnected expressions of masculinities in Africa and its diaspora.
Caption (right): Edan Ògbóni/Òsùgbó (emblem for Ògbóni/Òsùgbó), Yoruba (Ijebu) style, 19th-20th century. Copper alloy, 11 5/8 x 10 5/8 x 2 in. (29.53 x 26.99 x 5.08 cm). The Stanley Collection of African Art, X1986.502. Unrecorded artist; Nigeria

Two framed photos show carved wooden statues. The figure on the left has masculine features, with a feminine dress and heels on, and text overlayed on it that reads, "Made for him, she represented the perfect woman." The figure on the right depicts a feminine face with masculine pants on and text overlayed that reads, "Made for her, he represented the perfect man."

Flex is organized into three thematic zones: Masquerade, Proverbial Expression, and Style. Sumptuous garments, grandiose portraits, and wooden masks for rituals convey masculinity’s highly performative dimensions. Works on paper and in brass speak to its associations with wealth, wisdom and speech, while other artworks explore it through narratives on labor, status, and sensuality. 

Flex is co-curated by Cory Gundlach and Derek (DK) Nnuro.

Caption (left): Made for Him, Made for Her, 1993. C-prints, etched glass. 39 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. (100.33 x 49.53 cm). Mark Ranney Memorial Fund. 2011.51a,b. Carrie Mae Weems (American, 1953– ).