First stop, the Guggenheim Museum to view the 2nd part of Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now. We will be led on a guided tour of the exhibit, which focuses on Robert Mapplethorpe’s complex legacy in the field of contemporary art. Mapplethorpe, an American photographer best known for his black and white renderings of male and female nudes, celebrity and self portraits, composed images of classical beauty presented in challenging ways. A selection of his photographs will be on view alongside works by other artists in the Guggenheim's collection, including Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Lyle Ashton Harris, Glenn Ligon, Zanele Muholi, Catherine Opie, and Paul Mpagi Sepuya.

We will also be accompanied by the talented American painter, sculptor and teacher Tobi Kahn, whose own work is held by the Guggenheim, as well as myriad other museums and collections. Kahn, whose practice spans over four decades, has recently embarked upon a series for which he, like Mapplethorpe before him, photographs the sinuous, nude body – in his case, as a jumping-off point for densely painted, multi-layered works. Tobi will then join us for the short walk to Debbie’s apartment, where we will view his work and continue the conversation of motivation, process, and the transition from implicit tension to explicit spirituality.