Marcel Duchamp, Nic Nicosia

The Marcel Duchamp retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art reconsiders the artist’s career through a chronological lens, highlighting his often-overlooked contributions as a painter and the recursive nature of his ready-mades. Curators Matthew Affron, Michelle Kuo, and Ann Temkin emphasize how Duchamp’s use of replication and his secret twenty-year labor on *Étant Donné* challenge traditional notions of artistic singularity. Following this, artist Nic Nicosia discusses his shift from staged photography to sculpture and drawing, a transition spurred by personal health challenges and a desire for tactile experimentation. Nicosia’s work, characterized by a whimsical, surrealist sensibility, reflects his interest in the domestic environment and the meditative process of blind contour drawing. Both segments examine how artists navigate institutional constraints and personal evolution to redefine their creative output.