Cynthia Byrnes Contemporary Art is proud to present Are We There Yet?, the concluding chapter of our 3-part Zeitgeist exhibition series. Having considered the onset and prolonged dissemination of the of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first part of the series, Are We There Yet? looks to the future by exploring the broad gradient of emotions conjured as we embark on the year ahead and the possible shift from global pandemic to national endemic.

With two years of constant flux and turmoil under our belts, and the dissatisfying likelihood that COVID-19 will remain a factor in our lives indefinitely, looking to the year ahead spurs a host of mixed, often contradictory emotions for what the immediate future may hold. While some have made their peace with COVID-19 and are unreservedly living their lives along or even despite the virus, others are taking a more cautious approach and are still processing the abrupt and pervasive changes that have come to define the past two years. However, what seemingly unites us all is the profound – if not desperate – readiness for the page to well and truly turn and for the next chapter after the immediate crisis of the pandemic to finally arrive.

Featuring 19 artists working across a variety of media, Are We There Yet? draws on a formalist perspective, prioritizing an artwork’s aesthetic form over context and content. The exhibition considers our widely varying feelings towards the year ahead, from anxiety, resentment, and resignation, to optimism, contentment, and even hope.

Tessa Rosenstein, Associate Curator