COURTESY THE JOHNSON MUSEUM AT CORNELL
Ali is known for her gouache works, which use cartoons and folklore to examine race and class. Works from her best known series, “Greenheads,” were featured in the 2003 Venice Biennale.
“Laylah is an artist I’ve admired for years,” Kasmin said in an email. “I first came across the work at her solo show at the ICA in Boston in 2001 and never forgot it. Her complex figures and narratives constitute a singular voice in contemporary painting.”
Her first show with Kasmin is scheduled for March 2015, at the gallery’s 293 Tenth Avenue space. Ali has previously shown at 303 Gallery and had a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art. She was featured in the 2004 Whitney Biennial.