Chef Jams No. 16: 50 Favorites of 2022

Hey gang, it's Chef.

Earlier this Fall, I, like pretty much everyone else who's been in New York since September, went to the MoMA to check out the phenomenal Wolfgang Tillmans retrospective To Look Without Fear. Here's the thing––it really is as good as everyone is saying it is. If you're in New York between now and the new year, you should definitely go see it (even if you already have).

I'm not gonna pretend like I can think or write like an art critic, so I won't. All I'll say is that beyond Tillmans' signature unconventional method of photo presentation, there was something about the scale of this show that felt really special: ongoing rooms of massive, mural-like portraits right next to wallet-sized prints you'd want to hold close, just for you.

And of course, the continuous presence of music. Even when it isn't seen (a stack of speakers at a museum in Paris) or heard (a full-length presentation of his own album, Moon in Earthlight), you can still feel how much of an impact it has on him, his work, and the people he interacts with.