A major retrospective of multidisciplinary works by the master drummer Milford Graves will open in September at the Institute of Contemporary Arts Philadelphia, in partnership with Ars Nova Workshop. Milford Graves: A Mind-Body Deal explores the life and practice of Graves over six decades and comprises of over 40 works.

The exhibition is an attempt to open the “doors of his habitat”, with the show’s curator, Mark Christman, visiting Graves at home to gather works for the exhibition. His home in Jamaica, Queens, is packed with his creative inquiries, including a dojo, and a basement full of drums, prints, sculptures, and a laboratory of heart monitoring equipment. Graves has been studying the heartbeat as it relates to rhythm since the 1970s, and in 2018 was diagnosed with amyloid cardiomyopathy, sometimes called stiff heart syndrome.

In addition, the exhibition includes photographs, costumes and archival recordings. Graves still performs and hosts events from his home – his continued research and home remedies for his condition are documented in a recent article in the New York Times – and he hopes to stream live during the exhibition.

The multitalented Graves has also patented stem cell regeneration technology that utilises frequency response, and he teaches gardening and herbology to his neighbours as a way to promote health.

Milford Graves: A Mind-Body Deal is organised alongside Anthony Elms and Jake Meginsky (director of recent documentary Milford Graves Full Mantis). It will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue to be published by Inventory Press. Graves was on the cover of The Wire 409, March 2018.