Born in Power

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Ella Cooper, "Witness (Self Portrait Series)," 2018

site-specific installation (Detail). Collection of the Artist.

Born In Power presents Indigenous and Black representation in photography, film, and text from a self-determined lens.

Featured artists include: Anique Jordan, Meryl McMaster, Ella Cooper, Kali Spritzer, Hagere Selam Shimby Zegeye-Gebrehiwot, and more.

Born in Power considers the power of photography and film to capture and create constructs of identity. This exhibition unpacks the history of photography as a colonial tool, an imperial weapon of racial violence and objectification. Born in Power presents womxn and nonbinary/enby identities that embody representations of the self and community as acts of reclamation, and image sovereignty, to occupy space.

Enduring a collective history of resistance, intersectional oppression, discrimination, and objectification, the artists from Indigenous and Black identities use photography to defy stereotypes and Eurocentric standards. These artists’ define identity for themselves without the influence of society’s expectations and imposition. Representations of intergenerational Indigenous and Afro/Black bodies are recast, re-scripted, challenged, and countered by self-determination and familial power.

Stay tuned for exhibition programming, an integral part of this show, and an opportunity to engage directly with the community.