The Freedom Principle

2010s Exhibitions Performance

The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now explored important political issues and the human condition through incredible craft. 

The Freedom Principle really explored some really important themes, some themes that unfortunately have continue to play out in our current political environment, but also bringing a new awareness of the tie that most people miss between music and what we think of as art, artists and who we think of as artists, and a level of craftsmanship that created some probably never again to be heard or found compositions that really speak to the power of the human condition, the environments in which we both find ourselves and we build for ourselves. And I think that the very nature of a show with the title Freedom Principle allows people to sort of find their own way through what was presented and come out with a healthier appreciation for what freedom really is.

Interpretive installation by artist John Preus made in conjunction with The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now, MCA Chicago, Jul 11–Nov 22, 2015. Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.

Interpretive installation by artist John Preus made in conjunction with The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now, MCA Chicago, Jul 11–Nov 22, 2015. Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.

Renée Green, Space Poem #3 (Media Bicho), 2012. Polyester nylon and thread; 34 double-sided banners; each 22 x 17 ½ in. (55.9 x 44.5 cm); overall dimensions variable. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Installation view, The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now, MCA Chicago, Jul 11–Nov 22, 2015. Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.

Renée Green, Space Poem #3 (Media Bicho), 2012. Polyester nylon and thread; 34 double-sided banners; each 22 x 17 ½ in. (55.9 x 44.5 cm); overall dimensions variable. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Installation view, The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now, MCA Chicago, Jul 11–Nov 22, 2015. Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.

Nari Ward, We The People, 2011. Shoelaces; 96 × 324 in. (243.8 x 823 cm). In collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong. Installation view, The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now, MCA Chicago, Jul 11–Nov 22, 2015. Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.

Nari Ward, We The People, 2011. Shoelaces; 96 × 324 in. (243.8 x 823 cm). In collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong. Installation view, The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now, MCA Chicago, Jul 11–Nov 22, 2015. Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.

Installation view, The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now, MCA Chicago, Jul 11–Nov 22, 2015. Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.

Installation view, The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now, MCA Chicago, Jul 11–Nov 22, 2015. Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago.

Related Stories