‘Beyond the Present: Collecting for the Future,” an exhibition drawn from the art collection of Christine Mack, will open Saturday at the Southampton Arts Center with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and continue through Sept. 29. The show has been organized by Natasha Schlesinger, an art historian and curator, and Christina Strassfield, the arts center’s executive director.
Ms. Mack has followed in the footsteps of her mother-in-law, Phyllis Mack, whose collection began in the 1980s and includes such modern and contemporary notables as Keith Haring, Nam June Paik, Richard Prince, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Christine Mack, who has been building her collection for over 20 years, is committed to expanding it beyond painting to include sculptural works in ceramics, bronze, and wood, as well as textiles and glass. The human body figures prominently in the collection, which includes young American and international artists as well as artists with a Scandinavian background, a reflection of her own childhood growing up in Sweden.
She is the founder of the Mack Art Foundation and Greenpoint Studios, a residency program supporting emerging artists from beyond New York City. The residency provides artists with studio space, a residential apartment, and opportunities to engage with galleries, curators, and collectors. Nine of the artists in the exhibition are from the program.
“We are delighted to showcase works from Christine Mack’s personal collection and the Mack Art Foundation residency program,” said Ms. Strassfield. “Her passion and vision for collecting and supporting artists is truly inspiring. Each time Christine talks about an artist and their work, you gain a deeper understanding of the strong relationship between collector and artist and see her total support for them and their individual vision.”
Among the more than 70 artists whose work will be on view are Callum Eaton, Sam Gilliam, Sheree Hovsepian, Martine Johanna, Rashid Johnson, KAWS, Barbara Kruger, Robert Longo, Vik Muniz, Opal Mae Ong, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Robert Rauschenberg, Kenny Scharf, Cindy Sherman, Lorna Simpson, Kehinde Wiley, and Kennedy Yanko.
Photography and Film
For two summers during the pandemic, Steven Stolman, a designer and author, documented the fashions worn by the men and women of Southampton for The Southampton Press. Inspired by the late New York Times photojournalist Bill Cunningham, the weekly feature was titled “Southampton Seen.”
Mr. Stolman has selected his favorite images, which will be printed, framed, and available for purchase at a free cocktail party at the arts center on Friday at 6 p.m.
“We Are Guardians,” a multiple award-winning documentary by Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, and Rob Grobman, will be shown Sunday at 6 p.m. Shot in the Brazilian Amazon, it follows Marçal Guajajara, an Indigenous guardian, and Puyr Tembé, an Indigenous activist, as they risk their lives to protect their ancestral lands from invasion and deforestation. At the same time, the film explores the struggles of an illegal logger who sees no other way to make ends meet than by continuing to cut down the forest.
The film was produced by Fisher Stevens and executive-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Tickets are $10, free for members.
