Multidisciplinary Event Series Returns With Music, Art, and Cultural Exchange in New York
Grace Wales Bonner brought the second chapter of her Togetherness event series to New York, staging an evening of music and cultural exchange at the Guggenheim Museum. The multidisciplinary program unfolded alongside Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers, an ongoing exhibition at the museum that brings together nearly 90 works from the artist’s wide-ranging practice. With performances and installations situated throughout the building, the event merged fashion, sound, and community within the museum’s iconic architecture.
Togetherness was conceived as a series of musical gatherings that spotlight diverse talent, hybrid cultural expressions, and a collective sense of discovery. The events are designed to foster audience connection through intimate, unconventional performances. The first edition launched in June 2024 as part of Paris’s Fête de la Musique and underscored the significant role music plays in the broader creative universe of Wales Bonner.
For its New York iteration, the event’s programming featured artists whose work engages with legacy, genre, and experimentation. Performers included The Cavemen, a Nigerian duo known for blending highlife traditions with contemporary afropop, and Etran de L’Air, a group from Niger who have helped reintroduce Sahel rock’s layered guitar music to wider audiences. South African choral ensemble The Joy performed a cappella arrangements, while Ghanaian-American singer Amaarae, Nigerian Afrobeats artist Fireboy DML, and American rapper Navy Blue contributed to a cross-continental lineup. Additional performances came from NYC singer and producer keiyaA, hip-hop producer Sir Rashad Ringo Smith, DJ Ade “Acyde” Odunlami, and Lagos-born New York-based DJ Akanbi.
The event was organized in collaboration with Android, which continues its partnership with Grace Wales Bonner following their joint project in Paris. The partnership centers around a shared goal of expanding access to creativity and inclusivity in the arts. For the New York edition, Android supported the production of a second short film, underscoring Wales Bonner’s interest in storytelling through multimedia. According to the organizers, the use of technology throughout the event was intended to “empower Grace’s knowledge and her creative vision for bringing people together and expanding worlds through sound.”
Also participating in the evening was Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky, which debuted an immersive installation titled Layers of Lagavulin. The experience traced the whisky-making process from ingredients to final pour, spotlighting the artisans behind the spirit. The installation echoed themes present in Wales Bonner’s work—namely craftsmanship, narrative, and ritual—offering a complementary perspective on how heritage and materiality intersect.
The Guggenheim’s setting allowed the musical programming to unfold across levels and corners of the museum, encouraging movement and interaction. The experience aimed to challenge conventional performance formats and give attendees the opportunity to explore both the building and the sounds within it.
The guest list drew a mix of creative figures from across fashion, film, art, and music. Attendees included Leon Bridges, Henry Golding, Stefon Diggs, Paloma Elsesser, Bethann Hardison, Dapper Dan, Tyler Mitchell, Eric N. Mack, Aurora James, Bianca Saunders, Antoine Gregory, Ibrahim Kamara, Julez Smith, Selah Marley, Ludovic Nkoth, Malick Bodian, Quil Lemons, and many more.
Presented in conjunction with Rashid Johnson’s exhibition—which remains on view at the museum through January 2026—the Togetherness event aligned with themes of cultural identity, memory, and shared experience. Johnson’s show includes large-scale sculptures, black-soap paintings, video, and text-based works, offering a complementary backdrop to the evening’s sonic exploration.
The Togetherness series, in both concept and execution, seeks to reframe the role of music within fashion and art contexts, using collaboration and space to create new forms of engagement. With its latest iteration at the Guggenheim, Wales Bonner continued to develop a platform that brings together artists, audiences, and ideas through live performance and sensory experiences. The next edition is expected to further expand the scope of the project, continuing its movement across global cultural centers.
