AABV: Aestheticizing Anti-Black Violence—From Critique to Satire

In the wake of 2020, a year during which, amidst a global pandemic we were confronted by continuing, egregious anti-Black violence that gave rise to urgent, wide spread Black Lives Matter protests, AABV: Aestheticizing Anti-Black Violence—From Critique to Satire contemplates how Black artists have responded to anti-Black violence in their work.

SELECTED WORKS

It has been almost a decade since the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter first appeared on social media. Created by a group of three queer black women—Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors—it was a rallying cry to collectively call to action anyone who would listen. The events of 2020 emphasize its continued imperative. The exploratory curatorial approach to the exhibition considers how artists working across media and object-based practices have responded. As a medium that bridges art, commodity, music, and commercialism, musical video works—a form not traditionally considered in an art-historical context—are considered alongside more traditional forms of painting and printmaking.

Included in the exhibition are music videos by Leikeli47, Flying Lotus, and Run the Jewels, prints by Dread Scott, and paintings by Lindsey Brittain Collins. Together they consider the inventive ways that Black artists are addressing race and anti-Black violence through their work.

EXHIBITION BROCHURE