Yerba Buena Center for the Arts to Present Major Solo Museum Exhibition by Dread Scott

“The Body Politic” brings together newly commissioned projects, performance art, and pre-existing work highlighting Scott’s ongoing exploration of structures of power

Monday, August 24, 2027 (San Francisco, CA) – Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is pleased to present the most significant exhibition of work to date by Dread Scott, bringing together newly commissioned and existing works that confront political issues and interrogate American patriotism. Curated by René Morales, Dread Scott: The Body Politic is on view September 25, 2026–January 31, 2027.

Well-known for an early work that became the center of national controversy over its use of the American flag, Scott uses his artistic practice to confront the histories and ongoing realities of state violence, racial oppression, and resistance. Working across mediums—from social practice, performance, installation, and sculpture to photography, video, and printed materials—the artist creates rigorously researched projects that challenge viewers to contend with how power is structured, enforced, and challenged. The Body Politic presents recent work including epic body prints, a provocative performance piece, and a series of modified photographs of governmental seats of power. 

“It is a wonderful privilege to present Dread Scott’s first institutional solo show,” said Mari Robles, CEO of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. “It’s exactly the type of work that YBCA exists to support: art that encourages deep engagement with provocative questions about belonging.”

“At the core of Scott’s hard-hitting production is an unflinching critique of prevailing political realities, premised on the idea that art can serve as an effective platform for protest and the struggle for social justice,” said guest curator René Morales. “Scott’s work reminds us of our power and responsibility, as individuals and communities, to fight for freedom and equity. Amid a challenging time marked by instability, division, and tension, his work has never felt more timely.”

The exhibition at YBCA will feature two newly commissioned projects. Defending the Flag will present a guard dressed in a military uniform, holding a rifle, and standing in front of a U.S. flag. The project crystallizes social power dynamics in the form of a tense, close-and-personal encounter between the state and the public, underscoring the charged imbalances embedded in this fraught relationship.

The second commission, a series of body prints called Life/Death/America, depicts the ghostly silhouettes of a broad range of individuals of disparate sizes, age groups, genders, and racial and cultural backgrounds—most clothed, some exposed. Created with the participation of community members, the ethereal, abstracted aesthetic of the body prints alludes to the untimely deaths of many within and outside of U.S. borders. At the same time, it visualizes civil society, emphasizing difference, interdependence, and vulnerability while giving form to the latent strength of a united body politic.

“I’ve been thinking about what makes this period in American history different,” said Dread Scott. “The country was founded in slavery and genocide followed by a century of invasions and wars. But now it is consolidating a fascist form of rule. Protesters are being murdered, wars of aggression unleashed, immigrants targeted, racism rampant, the rule of law undermined, history rewritten all wrapped in the American flag. I want my art to confront this horror, inspire people to see our strength, and together imagine how we can get to a world we would actually want to live in.” 

The new pieces in the exhibition will be complemented by existing works, including the screenprint Imagine a World Without America (Green Land) (2025) (appearing both inside the gallery and outside the building as a large-scale public art piece), and additional body prints, evincing the artist’s long-time engagement with this form of image-making.

Taken as a whole, the exhibition draws on the urgency of the present moment, inviting viewers to consider their own positions within the systems Scott’s work lays bare. The Body Politic will be complemented by a series of public programs that expand on issues and themes presented in the exhibition.

About YBCA:

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is San Francisco’s home for bold, daring, and breathtaking art. Across contemporary art, performance, dance, film, and public programs, we present essential artistic voices from across the world, while celebrating the vibrancy of Bay Area culture. Embodying the independent and unconventional spirit of our city, YBCA has been the creative heartbeat of San Francisco for more than thirty years. For more information, visit ybca.org.

YBCA is open Thursday through Sunday 11:00am to 5:00pm, and on Wednesdays from 11:00am to 8:00pm. 

General admission is $10, and $5 for students and seniors. Admission is free every Wednesday. For tickets and information, visit ybca.org.

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For media inquiries:

Abby Margulies | (614) 827-5810 | [email protected]