Race, Myth, Art and Justice
Race, Myth, Art and Justice explores intersecting ideas of race, myth, art, and justice through the lens and unique interpretations of twelve inter-generational photographers. Via innovative contemporary art practices, the photographers engage with the premise of “race” as a social construct rooted in myth, while simultaneously interrogating its profound implications and indignities on our 21st century lives. With roots in the United States and throughout Africa and the Caribbean—including Guyana, Jamaica, Nevis, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, and Sierra Leone—the photographers draw from an African Diasporic worldview steeped in their personal experiences as well as larger geographical political histories.
Collectively, their images offer provocative portraits of the ways the mythology of race and the pursuit of justice continue to permeate the global African experience. Race, Myth, Art and Justice celebrates a community of voices who illuminate how conscious truth-telling art continues to serve as a powerful tool for justice. In addition, twelve dynamic scholars, activists, and writers reflect on the exhibition’s works. Through their thoughtful framing, we witness how the images transcend limiting labels of “political,” “radical,” or “protest” art. These photographs are not merely gestures or symbolic meditations on race and justice. Instead, they reflect exclusion, erasure, and invisibility as the lived realities we wrestle and resist every day.
Caribbean Cultural Center New York City, New York November 15, 2018 — June 16, 2019
Featured Artists Kwesi Abbensetts, Faisal Abdu’Allah, Terry Boddie, John E. Dowell, Jr., Adama Delphine Fawundu, Jonathan Gardenhire, Deborah Jack, Zoraida Lopez-Diago, Radcliffe Roye, Ming Smith, Stan Squirewell, Deborah Willis
Race Myth Art and Justice: Educators Guide
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