There is a lot of unsettled feelings around the USA at the moment. We saw one of the greatest summers of protest and calls to action for social justice this country may have ever seen, only to see Kinosha, Wisconsin and Portland, Oregon events created more uncertainty about where the election is headed. As this era of American history continues to evolve, in the art world, or should we say, certain places in the art world, we are seeing curators take on the task of creating group shows that reflect the times and presenting artists that help tell a more complete story of what is happening and emerging in contemporary art.
As the Fall season kicks off in one of the most uncertain moments we have seen in recent times, with both social justice and public health conversations at the forefront of all our minds, STUDIO 525 Presents VOICES, an exhibition with the "aim and purpose of supporting and elevating Black creatives voices as well as the Black Lives Matter movement." In partnership with Art Matic and ART SHE SAYS Portion of sales will go towards the Black Artist Fund and ArtStart. Featuring some of our favorite artists of the moment, including Dominic Chambers, Amani Lewis and Nate Lewis, the show features numerous genres from collage, painting and photography to the works of Derrick Adams and YoYo Lander.
Curator Anwarii Musa says this of the exhibition, “VOICES foregrounds the narratives that have encompassed Black beauty in America and throughout the world. The artists selected illustrate the strength and luster of the Black body - its soul exhorts energy, the sun and earth amplify its melanin-rich tone. As we collectively reflect on this, as well as generational suffering, we are reminded of the courage and fortitude that has brought us to this point in our journey. The spirit behind ‘Black Lives Matter’ is the tenacity that our ancestors displayed when faced with the bounteous trauma of the past four previous centuries. The aim of this exhibition is to explore that same Black body voicing its experiences in the modern day era of society. The message? We are strong.”