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Hace unos años, la artista de origen franco-marroquí Yto Barrada visitó MoMA PS1 en Queens, tras ser invitada a crear una obra específica para el patio del museo. Al llegar, lo primero que captó su atención fueron las paredes. Elevadas y de cemento, le recordaban a las viejas murallas de la ciudad y a la arquitectura brutalista en Tánger, donde pasó su infancia y todavía pasa parte de cada año.

“Cuando pienso en paredes, también pienso en muros simbólicos, en las estructuras de poder”, comparte Barrada en una videollamada desde su estudio en Brooklyn. Concebir una escultura al aire libre y de gran tamaño fue algo nuevo para ella, aunque su práctica interdisciplinaria ha respondido a las estructuras de poder durante más de dos décadas.

Mientras desarrollaba su instalación, un conjunto de enormes bloques de concreto en colores llamativos titulado “Le Grand Soir”, Barrada se dejó llevar por otras influencias que suelen aparecer en su obra: la labor, el juego y las historias culturales. Estas temáticas también están presentes en una exposición individual de obras basadas en fotografía de Barrada en el International Center of Photography, ubicado en el Lower East Side de Manhattan. Aunque diferentes en tamaño y material, y coincidiendo en el tiempo, como un par, “Le Grand Soir” de MoMA PS1 y “Part-Time Abstractionist” de ICP reflejan las diversas maneras en que Barrada estudia las fuerzas sociales que moldean nuestro entorno.

Now, I realize what unfolds at the Tony Awards. I’ve been observing them intently for numerous years, at times with companions and themed treats (2022’s “A Strange Fruit Loop,” I’m pointing at you), occasionally at a more official viewing gathering. Periodically, I revisit “Bigger,” Neil Patrick Harris’s exuberant opening piece at the 2013 event, anticipating the familiar rise in my emotions each time he reaches the peak of his rap: “We were that kid.” (Is someone chopping onions here?) Yet, nothing could fully brace me for being present in the room where it occurs (…apologies!) during the 77th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday evening.

Below, I’ve compiled four aspects you probably didn’t notice if you were watching the Tonys from home. We’re live in five…four…three…can I receive some applause, please?

The pre-show (which is actually quite delightful)

Certainly, the pre-show can be viewed at home via Pluto TV, yet most individuals only realize to tune into the Tonys for the CBS broadcast at 8 p.m. Hosted by Julianne Hough and Utkarsh Ambudkar, “The Tony Awards: Act One” was a joy, serving as a pleasant shift from the chaos of the red carpet to the live event—and providing much-deserved acknowledgment to the creative and design teams behind each show. Directors George C. Wolfe and Jack O’Brien also won their Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre at that moment, delivering two particularly charming speeches. “Most folks present tonight were dissuaded by their parents, teachers, partners, financial consultants,” O’Brien humorously noted (yet not entirely) about starting a career in theater. “But we couldn’t help it, could we?” The audience adored this.

The oddity of the commercial intervals

One sweltering summer day recently, photographer Ethan James Green and I sought relief from the heat by heading to the Ukrainian Museum in New York to explore “Peter Hujar: Rialto.” In the peak of a New York City summer, when it seems the temperature is climbing at a frenzy you’re hoping your finances might match, the museum becomes a haven from those sizzling pavements. (It remains so: “Peter Hujar: Rialto” continues through early September.)

Certainly, the primary incentive to pay a visit is to admire Hujar’s astounding art. Various superlatives could be showered upon the Ukrainian-American photographer, who left us in 1987, and he’d merit each. A giant in the world of photography, Hujar could be candid and unadorned but also captured subjects with a gentle and intimate approach—a unique blend of warmth and an unwavering look into humanity.

Hujar earned renown for portraying LGBTQIA+ icons and symbolism, from Candy Darling on Her Death Bed, 1973 to Christopher Street Pier #2 (Crossed Legs), 1976. “His work is something I truly admire, and I believe when it comes to photographers focusing on gay and queer themes, he stands out,” Green shared with me. “During his rise, Robert Mapplethorpe was also emerging—and while Mapplethorpe leaned into abstraction with his subjects, Hujar engaged with them in a raw, authentic manner. I favor that style—especially in portraiture.”

The genius of “Peter Hujar: Rialto,” however, lies in revealing some of Hujar’s work that is significantly lesser-known. The exhibit covers capture from 1955 to 1969—just over a decade but one in which Hujar documented the gradual axial tilt towards a progressive time. Whether in rural America, the eerie Capuchin catacombs of Palermo, amidst urban youth, or alongside future luminaries set to blaze the 1970s—Iggy Pop, Warhol star Jackie Curtis, and Loulou de la Falaise, a collaborator of Yves Saint Laurent, et al.

“Witnessing numerous photographs I haven’t encountered before,” Green remarked that day. “It’s easy to overlook he was a photographer active for a substantial span, producing so much work. When someone departs, certain pictures remain while others might fade—not due to their quality.”

Walter Hill’s 1979 movie The Warriors, adapted from Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel, illustrates a gritty diagram of New York City controlled by fiercely territorial groups.

Warriors, a fresh concept album inspired by the same narrative, launches with a dancehall-flavored intro by Jamaican vocalist Shenseea, succeeded by Bronx native rapper Chris Rivers stepping into the track to represent and introduce his district. This paves the way for the succeeding quartet of voices: Nas (representing Queens), Cam’ron (Manhattan), Ghostface Killah and RZA (Staten Island), and Busta Rhymes (Brooklyn).

Soon after follows an electrifying reminder that this is indeed a theatrical musical production by Lin-Manuel Miranda, as numerous Broadway stars (Phillipa Soo, Amber Gray, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Aneesa Folds, Kenita Miller, Sasha Hutchings, Gizel Jiménez, and Julia Harriman) appear, portraying the gender-reversed namesake gang.

However, the final twist comes when Lauryn Hill takes the stage as Cyrus, a soon-to-be-murdered gang leader advocating for the gangs to cease hostilities and seize control of the city from the police, who they outnumber three to one. While Miranda’s Hamilton Mixtape, released after that musical’s 2015 triumph, included many hip-hop icons, his compositions have never sounded so, well, intense.