Established in 1896, the Carnegie International is the longest-running North American exhibition of international art. Organized every three to four years by Carnegie Museum of Art, the International presents an overview of how art and artists respond to the critical questions of our time. The 58th Carnegie International, which is titled Is it morning for you yet?, runs from September 24, 2022 to April 2, 2023, and unfolds along two conceptual overlapping currents: historical works from the collections of international institutions, estates, and artists, alongside new commissions and recent works by contemporary artists.

Organized by Sohrab Mohebbi, the Kathe and Jim Patrinos Curator of the 58th Carnegie International and associate curator Ryan Inouye with curatorial assistant Talia Heiman, the exhibition traces the geopolitical imprint of the United States since 1945 to situate the “international” within a local context. The exhibition borrows its title from a Mayan Kaqchikel expression, where instead of saying “Good morning” it is customary to ask, “Is it morning for you yet?” Inspired by a conversation with artist Édgar Calel, who will present a new commission for the show, Is it morning for you yet? acknowledges that human beings’ internal clocks and experiences are different: when it’s morning for some, it might still be night for others.

As a part of the 58th Carnegie International, Pittsburgh-born and based artist James “Yaya” Hough (b. 1974) has painted A Gift to the Hill District, a mural in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District, a cultural and artistic hub where Hough was born.

In preparation for the mural, Hough, in collaboration with Carnegie Museum of Art and Nafasi, a community development initiative in the Hill District that utilizes art as a vehicle, held community workshops to receive feedback and hear ideas from the community. The mural was dedicated during a public celebration on Saturday, July 30, 2022. This project expands on and continues Hough’s legacy of making art public to create common imaginaries.

Hough has recently worked on several high-profile projects with Mural Arts Philadelphia; was featured in the seminal exhibition Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration at MoMA PS1 in 2020; and opened a solo show at JTT gallery in New York in May 2021. Hough is known for his drawings that augment the absurdity of authority and confinement, nine of which the museum recently acquired in 2021. A selection of Hough’s works will be presented in the museum galleries during the Carnegie International.