Martha Rosler: Truth is/is not

About

Galerie Lelong, New York, is pleased to present our first solo exhibition with the artist Martha Rosler, Truth is/is not, opening on April 10, 2025. Since the 1960s, the Brooklyn-based artist's practice has been defined by a sharp and unfiltered perspective on contemporary social and political issues of the public sphere, often through addressing the unexamined acceptance of the systems that create and define them. Drawing from works across decades, the exhibition examines how political consciousness is molded through the dissemination of ideas and truisms by mass media, reinforced by constant repetition. The exhibition's title is borrowed from a recent essay by the artist published on The Brooklyn Rail's Critics Page, "truth is, or is not," in which Rosler unpacked the changing landscape of ideological approaches toward truth and its place in the contemporary art world.

Truth is/is not begins with an exercise in decision-making. Rosler positions an ordinary turnstile at the entrance and exit of the gallery, alongside a television and Xbox console with the game "Just Dance" which uses a sensor to detect the movements of players as they follow the moves on screen. Visitors must decide whether to pay a quarter to go through the turnstile and enter the exhibition or to play the game for a dollar. This choice juxtaposes instant gratification with an open-ended opportunity to explore complex representations of the consequences of institutional systems.

Upon entering the gallery's main space, visitors negotiate Reading Hannah Arendt (Politically) for an American in the 21st Century (2006). This forest of hanging panels displays passages in English and German from the writings of the German Jewish émigré philosopher on authoritarianism and subject populations. Glimpsed through the translucent panels, pertinent selections from Rosler's photomontage series and gallery visitors become a backdrop.