Artist’s voices aren’t always easy to listen to. Sometimes it’s because they’re speaking to uncomfortable realities that shape our societies and lives. In other cases, the art may be part of that uncomfortable reality, reflecting rather than critiquing harmful perspectives. The solo exhibitions below all represent artists with strong individual visions and voices, some more problematic than enlightening, but all thought provoking.A small but succinct show of Glenn Ligon’s works demonstrates why the artist’s dissection of racism through language and intelligibility is as urgent now as it was nearly 40 years ago. Chloë Bass similarly uses text, but joined with mirrors and home movies, to look at what it means to be mixed race in a society that fetishizes differences, while Elle Pérez uses photography to capture moments of togetherness among the varied families in a person’s life.Finally, Hyperallergic’s Managing Editor, Hakim Bishara, goes into the belly of the American psycho-social beast with a massive Diane Arbus retrospective. No, it’s not a show that we heartily endorse, but — especially given that the venue wouldn’t allow outside photography — it is one that you should see for yourself. —Natalie Haddad, Reviews EditorElle Pérez: The World Is Always Again Beginning, History with the PresentAmerican Academy of Arts and Letters, Broadway between West 155 and 156 Streets, Washington Heights, ManhattanThrough July 3Elle Pérez, “Untitled (car body)” from La Despedida (2025) (image courtesy the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York)“[The exhibition] is about Pérez’s earliest impulse: to hold a feeling still — which is, really, a means of honoring the living, witnessing them.” —Monica UszerowiczRead the full review here.Glenn LigonBrant Foundation, 421 East 6th Street, East Village, ManhattanThrough July 19Glenn Ligon, “Untitled (Bruise/Blues)” (2014), neon and paint; two components (photo Natalie Haddad/Hyperallergic)“His use of language as a medium points up its failings as well as the viewer’s stake in what’s said and whether or not it’s legible to us.” —NHRead the full review here.Chloë Bass: Twice SeenAlexander Gray Associates, 384 Broadway, Tribeca, ManhattanThrough July 26Installation view of Chloë Bass, “we turn to time” (2024), four-channel HD video and audio, duration: 23 minutes, 57 seconds (photo Lakshmi Rivera Amin/Hyperallergic)“She’s daring us — particularly those of us from multiracial backgrounds — to redefine ‘capture,’ to pay attention to seemingly unremarkable things, and refuse to turn ourselves and one another into novelties.” —Lakshmi Rivera AminRead the full review here.Diane Arbus: ConstellationPark Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, Lenox Hill, ManhattanThrough August 17A projection outside Diane Arbus: Constellation at Park Avenue Armory in New York. I was not allowed to take my own photos of the show. (photo Hakim Bishara/Hyperallergic)“In her photos, the rich look sophisticated and stately, while the wretched seem trapped in her gaze.” —Hakim BisharaRead the full review here.