The largest-scale retrospective of Moki Cherry’s work in the United States, “The Living Temple: The World of Moki Cherry,” fills both floors of The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center, Glasstire reported.
A Transcendent Retrospective at The Contemporary Austin
The world created by Moki Cherry and her husband, the spiritual jazz musician Don Cherry, centered on geodesic dome communes, vegetarian cooking, and pan-global music and spirituality. That ethos anchors the exhibition, which spans Moki Cherry’s entire career across a wide range of mediums. The show includes her signature silk tapestries, which are iridescent, wildly colorful, and tactile. A tapestry depicting the Indian classical scale of note evoked memories of Tabla and Sitar class in 1992 for visitors raised in the Transcendental Meditation movement. Cherry frequently wore these tapestries as capes or used them as improvised table and wall coverings to transform the energy of a room, qualities that recalled silk curtains described by John Cage at 1930s Peking Opera shows in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. Alongside the textiles, the galleries feature paintings and paper works that blend fauvism, abstraction, and folk art into vibrant fantasias. Moki Cherry’s style and work have gained widespread popularity and chic status today, reflected in a recently published book on her life and career titled Blank Forms, as well as coastal boutiques selling handmade clothes, candles, incense, Don Cherry and Laraaji records, and books such as Autobiography of a Yogi and The Songlines.
Honoring a Creative Partnership and Family Legacy
The exhibition also highlights Moki Cherry’s artistic partnership with Don Cherry, whose transcendent approach to spiritual jazz earned him lasting renown alongside peers like Pharoah Sanders and John and Alice Coltrane. Moki designed a dozen of Don Cherry’s album covers, which are displayed alongside headphone stations where visitors can listen to the music. The presentation incorporates performance videos, interactive elements for children, and the contributions of her children, Neneh and Eagle-Eye Cherry, who participated in both the art and the music.
Transforming the Everyday into Paradise
Among the most striking installations is a green table set upon a mirrored pedestal, which reflects the intricately carved and painted underside created by the artist. That attention to detail reflects a broader practice of turning everyday objects into imaginative landscapes. Glasstire noted that the exhibition remains on view at The Contemporary Austin through January 17, 2027.
