MassArt Art Museum Presents Solo Exhibitions by Banu Cennetoğlu and Robert Lazzarini
- Campus News
- Press Release
- MassArt Art Museum
Boston, MA — This fall, the MassArt Art Museum (MAAM) presents two solo exhibitions by internationally recognized artists Banu Cennetoğlu and Robert Lazzarini that examine the ideals, images, and institutions that shape our understanding of contemporary life.
Opening September 30, 2026, both exhibitions explore the instability of systems and symbols that have often been understood as fixed: human rights, national iconography, and governing bodies. Together, the exhibitions invite viewers to reconsider how these systems and symbols shape collective value systems and daily life.
Banu Cennetoğlu’s presentation centers on right? (2022–ongoing), an evolving work that transforms articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) into dense bouquets of gold Mylar letter balloons. For MAAM, the artist will present UDHR Articles 25 and 26, which affirm the rights to an adequate standard of living and an education. As the balloons gradually deflate over the course of the exhibition, the work becomes a meditation on the labor required to sustain and protect rights that are treated as universal ideals but remain unevenly realized. Cennetoğlu asks viewers to consider not only whether these rights endure, but also whether societies continue to believe in and uphold them.
Banu Cennetoğlu. “right?,” 2022-ongoing. Installation view: 58th Carnegie International, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. Courtesy of the artist and Sylvia Kouvali, London/Piraeus. Photo: Sean Eaton.
Banu Cennetoğlu. “right?,” 2022-ongoing. Courtesy of the artist and Sylvia Kouvali, London/Piraeus. Photo: Sean Eaton.
Robert Lazzarini. “American flag ii,” 2022. Collection Meredith and Brad Stadler. Photo: R. Lazzarini.
Robert Lazzarini. “American flag ii” (detail), 2022. Collection Meredith and Brad Stadler. Photo: R. Lazzarini.
Robert Lazzarini. “American flag ii” (detail), 2022. Collection Meredith and Brad Stadler. Photo: R. Lazzarini.
Robert Lazzarini. “American flag ii” (detail), 2022. Collection Meredith and Brad Stadler. Photo: R. Lazzarini.
Known for his mathematically distorted sculptures, Robert Lazzarini will present a solo exhibition that will reimagine familiar symbols of American identity through a destabilizing formal language that challenges perception and certainty. The exhibition includes newly produced works originally conceived for the United States Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The objects collectively evoke histories of governance, nationalism, and representation, offering a timely reflection on the construction of national mythologies.
Though distinct in form and approach, the exhibitions by Cennetoğlu and Lazzarini share an interest in the fragility of systems that define today’s world. Both artists engage symbols that carry enormous political and historical weight. Their exhibitions reveal how meaning can shift, erode, or fracture under pressure. At a moment of national and international instability, these exhibitions create space for critical reflection on the ideals, images, and structures that continue to shape our world.
Both exhibitions will be on view from September 30, 2026 – February 28, 2027.
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About MassArt Art Museum (MAAM)
The MassArt Art Museum (MAAM) is Boston’s only free contemporary art museum where visitors can experience groundbreaking art from extraordinary artists at the forefront of contemporary practice. MAAM is core to the creative community that is Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), and a major draw to the vibrant Avenue of the Arts. As MassArt’s esteemed teaching museum, MAAM is a resource for MassArt students and faculty, offering unparalleled educational opportunities for students, partnering with faculty to support curriculum, and preparing students for careers in the museum field. MAAM is a kunsthalle, or non-collecting museum, showing groundbreaking and resonant temporary exhibitions that feature the work of professional working artists at all stages of their careers. As an extension of MassArt’s public mission, the Museum offers pathways to education in the arts and free programming for the public, including high-profile panels and lectures that address timely and pressing issues. MAAM is located at 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. For more information visit maam.massart.edu.
Media Contact
Kara Westhoven, Senior Communications Manager, MassArt
kwesthoven@massart.edu
