Gallery II

Gallery II

 

A couple weeks back I took a trip down to ICA in Philadelphia (Institute of Contemporary Art). They had two running exhibitions at the same time which were Speech/Acts and BIG OBJECTS NOT ALWAYS SILENT. Both exhibitions were top notch. They were put together very precisely and effectively. Both the artists and the curators did a swell job putting this masterful exhibition together.

First, we will look at the Speech/Acts exhibition that was featured. This fall, ICA presented Speech/Acts, a group exhibition featuring Jibade-Khalil Huffman, Steffani Jemison, Tony Lewis, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, and Martine Syms.

The exhibition explores experimental black poetry and how the social and cultural constructs of language have shaped black American experiences. The exhibition was an experience like no other. They really captured the essence of being black in America in this millennium. The exhibition is a complete immersive experience that features an interactive environment.

The other exhibition that ICA is currently running through Dec. 23^rd is BIG OBJECTS NOT ALWAYS SILENT, by Nathalie Du Pasquier. The artist portrays the hierarchy between design and fine art, and between three-dimensional form and two-dimensional representation through his art in different mediums. The exhibition features more than 100 works spanning from the early 1980s to the present day. It also includes abstracted, figurative paintings creating a fully immersive environmental experience.

Both of the exhibitions gave me insight how to curate my own exhibition for a solo project that I am working on. The way that the works flows from one piece to another in the space is immaculate, and then you get to the artwork itself. In the first exhibition, Speech/Act, I felt as though the tale being told of the American black in 2017 was a heartfelt open hand to reform. This is a strong point that I do hold near and dear because we do need reform. In all honesty, we are in need of a revolution in the form of government reform. The “democracy” that we have right now is horrid and temperamental at best. We have “leaders” that only care about themselves, their high-ticket donors and getting re-elected. The black experience in America is no longer about slavery but it still remains as one of injustice and oppression.

The other exhibition is a telling one of a different story. The exhibition, BIG OBJECTS NOT ALWAYS SILENT, is a walk-through immersive experience of the finest art that art has to offer. It encompasses different mediums in such a way that they feed off of each other with a harmonic essence. You really feel a sense of nostalgia in some ways because the large nature of the pieces and the bright vibrant colors. It almost makes you feel like a small child because everything as a child seemed massive when compared to yourself.

All in all, this was a dynamic display of art however not my favorite as an artist or critic. I would suggest to the artist and curator that they do more within the confines of the space allotted. From the artist standpoint, I want more, plain and simple. I want more in a way that truly makes me feel and understand the black experience and how it may differ from that of a white person. To be frankly honest, I never want to get pulled over because of speeding in fear of a ticket. A black man in this country doesn’t want to get pulled over for the fear that he will leave the altercation with the officer in an ambulance or a body bag.