An exhibition at Asian Arts Initiative, organized by artist and community organizer Jaishri Abichandani, suggests that blackness is experienced by all people of color, who deal with the experience in various ways. The show’s 20 artists confront complex issues about race and ethnicity and Ilana recommends everyone see the exhibit before it closes April 21.
Read MoreLots of happenings for you today in the news post, including a major event at PAFA from the Philadelphia arts and culture community. April is National Poetry Month, so celebrate with Yolanda Wisher at the Outbound Poetry Festival and the Sanctuary Poetry series at the Asian Arts Initiative. Also, performances by Wilmer Wilson IV, a talk by Artblog favorite Willie Cole, a new documentary about the seminal 1972 DNC, and RIP Pop art pioneer James Rosenquist.
Read MoreMost of the works focus on the results of gentrification that continues to take place in Philadelphia, where the the displacement of people and things have transformed them all into a kind of debris. While it’s not stated overtly, the emphasis on impoverished people and forgotten neighborhoods infuses the show with political meaning. Due to its political content and focus on urban decay, debris, and poverty, you won’t find pretty views of Philadelphia.
Read MoreI want more of this unself-conscious immersion in the moment from Nam rather than the cool and distanced views she mostly shows here.
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