Since the 1980s, Tony Cokes has developed a visual language all his own, sampling and remixing fragments of the media landscape to confront issues of structural racism, power, and visibility. His tightly choreographed video essays layer found text over vibrant colors, often with dissonant soundtracks, creating a propulsive, immersive form that makes reading feel visceral.

Presented as part of Counterpublic 2026: Coyote Time, Cokes’s newly commissioned work explores the global legacy of Tina Turner, the “Queen of Rock and Roll” whose career began in St. Louis, and how she is remembered by the community. Rooted in archival material—including Turner’s time at Sumner High School in The Ville neighborhood—the work is both deeply personal and historically expansive. Cokes’s multi-sited project extends beyond CAM to Antioch Baptist Church in The Ville neighborhood and a series of outdoor billboards that connect the two locations.

Cokes’s work will transform CAM’s facade nightly from dusk to midnight as part of the Museum’s ongoing Street Views series, freely accessible to all passersby.

Tony Cokes is organized for the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and Counterpublic by Dean Daderko, Ferring Foundation Chief Curator, and Stefanie Hessler, curator, writer, and the Director of Swiss Institute in New York, with support from Grace Early, Exhibitions Assistant.