Curated by Melissa Chiu

The punctuation in this show’s title offers a clue to its intention. This first-ever US survey of contemporary work from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands aims to provide a counternarrative to perceptions of these places, too many of which still resemble Gauguin’s edenic Tahitian delusions. The forty-five works on view describe a cosmopolitan and complex region by addressing such issues as youth hip-hop subcultures, interisland diaspora, and the confrontation of indigenous traditions with Western influence. Featuring painting, sculpture, photography, video, and performance by fifteen artists, including Mohini Chandra, Michael Parekowhai, and Peter Peryer, “Paradise Now?” proffers a variety of answers to its own question.

— Lisa Pasquariello