Elias Sime

James Cohan is pleased to present TIGHTROPE: ECHO!?, an exhibition of new work by Elias Sime, on view at 48 Walker Street from March 19 through April 24. This is Sime’s fourth solo exhibition at James Cohan. 

Please click here to book an appointment to visit the exhibition in person.

Please click here to explore the exhibition in our Viewing Room. 

A new chapter in the Tightrope series, the wall-based works in this exhibition feature megaphones that have been embellished and affixed to the surface of the picture. The inclusion of this new element points to the artist’s interest in the way information can be successfully or unsuccessfully transmitted. Megaphones are used in large communal gatherings—both by activists demanding their rights and by law enforcement controlling the crowds—to project a message. Yet the series title, ECHO?!  questions which voices are amplified. Sime explains, “As technology connects people virtually and physically from one end of the world to the other, unfiltered and sensational speeches are spread creating confusion and doubting the truth. Each one of the Tightrope: ECHO!? is about what I am witnessing now. I leave the interpretation of the pieces to the viewers. The basic idea is how humans are easily manipulated by individuals and rush for conclusions that they often regret when the truth begins to surface.”  

TIGHTROPE: ECHO!? is accompanied by a critical essay written by curator and anthropologist Meskerem Assegued, with whom Sime co-founded the Zoma Museum.