Tony Cokes: Texts, Tracks, Talks (1992 – 2026)

Opening in September 2026, the ICA at VCU will present a survey of past and newly commissioned works by Tony Cokes (b. 1956, Richmond, Virginia). Curated by ICA Acting Senior Curator Amber Esseiva, Cokes’ exhibition will explore questions of artistry and personhood, touching on themes such as means of artistic production, intent, and the formation of personal identity. Named a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellow in 2024, Cokes’ exhibition marks the artist’s homecoming to Richmond and VCU’s School of the Arts, where he received a master of fine arts in sculpture in 1985.

Tony Cokes creates politically resonant works in a visual language all his own. Since the 1980s, his work has surfaced latent ideologies of popular culture, confronting issues of structural racism, power, visibility, and the defiant pleasures still found under capitalism. Cokes samples and remixes fragments of our media landscape to subvert its governing codes. His tightly choreographed video essays layer found text over vibrant colors and dissonant soundtracks, exploiting the gaps between sensory regimes to heighten and complicate the reading experience. Quoted passages from current events or critical theory take on a new tenor when set to music, resulting in propulsive animations that appeal to the mind and body alike. Cokes’ immersive works make text feel visceral and let rhythm spur new insight. His art attests, “it is possible to dance and think at the same time.”