EXHIBITION STATEMENT
Get In Where You Fit In: Exploration of Form by Black Women Artists brings together a multitude of themes that question form in a physical and philosophical manner. As a term, “get in where you fit in” is used to describe finding one’s place. These artists are exemplifying this idea as they challenge themselves to find advancements in their practice by searching for clues to inform their lineages, existences in the world at large, and how to make space for others whose identities intersect with their own. Each body of work on display denotes an exploratory moment in each artist’s practice. They are all investigating how and where their practice fits in the greater arts lexicon, and this is being realized through experimentation of mediums and materials, as well as focusing on the manipulation of form within the creation of each piece.
There is a continual push of our understanding regarding the ways we classify fine art and craft – Linnea Poole’s practice, involving the creation and photographing of textiles, adds to this categorical debate. Poole ingratiates hand-dyed fabrics with photographs of young Black women wearing similar fabric to create large-scale installations reminiscent of Lilian Thomas Burwell’s towering sculptures. These works contain themes of labor, spirituality, and healing as well as the artist deliberately using two almost opposite mediums – bringing into question the necessity of both technological advances and traditional craft practices created almost purely by hand and plant.
The duality in Poole’s practice shines light on a trend that has been making its way to the forefront of discussions. In recent years we’ve seen the emergence of craft practices, such as Gee’s Bend artists’ quilts, shown throughout the global museum circuit. Specifically, major exhibitions such as Crafting America demonstrate the importance of fiber, ceramics, glass and other mediums of creation – many of which were produced by Black and/or Indigenous peoples throughout American history. This is an indicator of the importance of continuing to recognize and uplift craft and practices that heavily involve crafting techniques; much like what Poole explores in her work and creation process.
Recently, we have witnessed an alignment long overdue between art institutions and the contemporary arts landscape through the production of exhibitions highlighting significant creations by Black abstract and multidisciplinary artists. Exhibitions such as Generations: A History of Black Abstract Art and Magnetic Fields: Expanding American Abstraction have brought important works to the precipice of art conversations and have highlighted their underrepresentation within mainstream art dialogues. This concern is no outlier – historically, abstract art created by Black artists has been overshadowed by “social realist” works that are more easily understandable, some would even say “more acceptable,” to the general public. Much like the pushback against “Black trauma porn” in cinema, the need for conversations around understanding the complexities of Blackness and the interests of Black artists’ is imperative. Presently, we are living in a time in which Black thought leadership is under attack via Civil Rights rollbacks such as affirmative action programs that will in turn lower diversity numbers within higher education, and the banning of books from Black scholars that raise the consciousness of society. We are in need of these expanded ideas of what it means to be a Black person living in today’s society, as well as what it was like to be a Black person living in societies of yesteryear.
Artists Rhema Jordan Labbe and Rebecca Marimutu’s abstract and multidisciplinary practices follow a long lineage of Black artists speaking to this expansion of expression. Labbe’s abstract expressionist paintings emphasize the importance of spontaneous movement through the usage of gestures, lines, and mark-marking. She has an ability to use a dark color palette to create effervescent forms – a technique that demonstrates her influence from jazz music and how she channels a similar unconstrained yet controlled action. Similarly, Marimutu’s self-portrait photography practice requires an experimentation in movement to then create a deliberate position of her facial expressions and/or body. This manipulation is imperative because it allows for the artist to represent herself with an ambiguous portrayal. Thus, opening the possibility for interpretations from the viewer and forcing a grappling with how you see her.
Moreover, Marimutu’s new exploration into creating and displaying these photographs in a sculptural manner reshapes the subject’s body even further. By taking the images and making them three-dimensional the artist has also recontextualized the body – forcing the sculpture to engage with its environment. This work is in line with other artists such as Alison Saar and Ana Mendieta whose work investigates how the female body reacts and exists in different spaces. Exhibiting artist Ciarra K. Walters explores the female body in similar fashion, using her body and deliberate movements to create self-portrait works. Showcased in her video work on display, the artist contorts her body while amongst the elements of the desert, the beach, and green pastures. This work, a slight shift from her focus in photography, brings into question the use of one's body to not only create art, but to communicate the relationships between humans interpersonally, as well as the world around us. This sort of usage of photo, video, and performance media to explore Black people’s relationship to the environment can be seen throughout the contemporary arts landscape. We see artists such as Latoya Ruby Fraizer and Allison Janae Hamilton exploring similar radical practices of reclaiming space in exterior and interior settings.
There is a certain bravery at play that these artists are displaying by exploring concepts that have lacked attention from many art consumers and gatekeepers. Via their practices, each artist has been taking up space in important art-making genres that have not historically been rewarded for the creation of equivocal works – especially not those created by Black women. This exhibition asks the viewer to examine the similarities between each work and to appreciate the importance of this departure from more readily recognizable art forms as these artists aim to find their place while standing out amongst others in the field.
