Culture Diaries Curated by Dominique Clayton

Rele Los Angeles is pleased to announce Culture Diaries, a group exhibition that looks at African-American identity within a contemporary and historical context. Bringing into focus the plurality and complexity of what it means to be both Afro-descendent and American, guest curator Dominique Clayton draws in artists of varied cultural, social, economic and linguistic backgrounds, including those multi-generationally American and those decidedly so.

By presenting this group of artists in an African-owned space, Clayton raises the question around “community” and how artists and art spaces might help bridge the gaps in acknowledgement and respect for cultural heritage and nuance on both sides of the Atlantic. Clayton presents a range of artists whose images speak to the soul or consciousness of Black people in the US. This consciousness presents itself in the form of celebration, mood, environment, movement, and fantasy and each section of the exhibition speaks to one of these forms.

In the lens-based section of the exhibition, Dawoud Bey, a pioneer in the field of photography, uses black-and-white film to capture urban landscapes, evoking a complex mood, rich with the nuance of the spaces he records. Alongside Bey, sits the work of Shaniqwa Jarvis, who finds emotionality and beauty in the mundane. In other sections, February James’ watercolor portraits capture a softness and poignancy, which contrast with the bold and textured portraiture of Megan Lewis. Vivid paintings containing more narrative compositions by Blitz Bazawule and Glenn Hardy Jr. sit in conversation with the powerful posturing of Dr. Fahamu Pecou’s work and that of the legendary Kwame Brathwaite, all of which highlight celebration and form.

Dr. Imo Nse Imeh explores trauma and healing in the body of a Black man through dream-like figuration while Alicia Piller charts maternal ancestry and movement through mixed materials and assemblage. The conceptual and layered collage work by Geneveive Gaignard appears alongside works by Marryam Moma, Hebru Brantley, and Jamea Richmond-Edwards all of whom play with fantasy in figuration and perception, whereas Malcolm Emilio, Hasef, and Ray Anthony Barrett consider the play between environment and personal and intimate space.

Collectively, these images reflect both shared and unique identities, sentiments, and perceptions, acting as a survey of contemporary African-American culture.