Freedom Is Indeed Not Guaranteed
Our exhibit focuses on the Black Lives Matter Movement displayed through digital media art. This style of art was chosen to represent the digital age that encompasses 2020. Even prior to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic this year has been vastly digital from the way we receive our news to how we shop. The pandemic has just reinforced this even further. Our gallery is divided into three separate sections that all unite to showcase a powerful movement and features an original artwork displaying a poem written by Chloe Adeleke, titled “Freedom is Indeed not Guaranteed”.
In the first sub-exhibit, the art pieces titled “Burn it down, To start again,” “The Helping Hands,” and “We Are Blinded Through Our Ears Now” are all under the common theme of showcasing art that encourages all kinds of people to become involved in the Black Lives Matter movement. The first piece section was created by Ashley Lukashevsky and is advocating all people to take a stand and assist in dismantling the systematic racism that our country was built upon. With her art piece, a building in flames, she is able to express the urgency of this situation which spurs her audience to do what they can to fight this system. Mr. Boom’s “The Helping Hands,” focuses on encouraging other artists to create art pieces that detail the movement as a way of showing involvement. Oto A. Attah’s work “We Are Blinded Through Our Ears Now,” although not directly about this movement, the piece urges people to stay informed about the world, which is yet another way of showing solidarity and involvement with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The following sub-exhibit devoted to highlighting the numerous BLM protests that occurred across the globe serves to illustrate a significant part of 2020. It is of no doubt that the BLM movement gained momentum this year, especially after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor. What initially began as a wide assortment of social media posts became a global rallying cry against racial inequality and police brutality. From massive protests in cities within the US like NYC, Seattle, and Houston to cities outside of the US like London, Sydney, and Lagos, the message that “Black Lives Matter” has become universal. It is essential to shed light on both the depth of this movement as well as its growth within the past year because there would be no 2020 without the evolution of the BLM movement. The artworks in this particular sub-exhibit document the different forms of protest amongst many others that took place. More specifically, it is important to note how in spite of these varying forms of protest, the message was the same: Black Lives Matter, and change needed to occur to ensure that police brutality and racial injustice are both eradicated. While some knelt just as Colin Kapernick did in 2016, others looted and set fire to their local police stations. Meanwhile, there were many others who created signs and peacefully protested. Through these illustrations, our ultimate goal is to call attention to the root cause of these BLM protests, the abuse of power on the behalf of the police department as well as social inequality African Americans face daily. These depictions range from straightforward to visually arresting, all of which come together to form a memorial dedicated to BLM protests. While protests haven’t completely ceased, the fire that was ignited as a result of the major police brutality cases this year cannot be relit; hence, it is of utmost importance that this sub-exhibit is developed so that we will never forget the 2020 BLM protests.
The last sub-exhibit portrays pieces of art that work to celebrate and appreciate black lives. All throughout, America has seen violence and brutality against the black community, and these injustices have been brought to the forefront this past year. Alongside the protests, were actions to not only fight for justice but to uplift and appreciate the community. The selected artworks in this sub exhibit celebrate an inspirational black woman, uplift the men in the black community, and validate the different identities within the community. Aurélia Durand, Myron J. Stone, and Jodilee Lindsay created these works of art to support their own community. While Stone and Lindsay are based in America, Durand is from France, showing that this need to celebrate and appreciate the black community is global. As a society, we need to rectify the twisted views and portrayals of the black community and work to support the people that have been neglected, hated, and harmed for too long. While viewing these artworks, we should take a look within ourselves too, and see if we can do and be better than we are.
