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CURTIS TALWST SANTIAGO
Curtis Talwst Santiago’s ongoing Infinity Series (2008–2018) consists
of intricate dioramas within reclaimed jewelry boxes. Each tiny scene
combines representations of catastrophic events with references to
popular culture and art history. They memorialize contemporary
tragedies, asking us to look closely and consider how tragedy can
catalyze change, revolt, and tireless demands for justice.
Frida's Entry into Iguala is based on the 2014 mass kidnapping of
Mexican school boys in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico. Its references
include images from protests designed to draw attention to the
missing students, as well as the composition of James Ensor’s
painting Christ’s Entry Into Brussels in 1889 (1888), which depicts
Christ entering that city in a Mardi Gras parade.
The Execution of Unarmed Blacks references the murder of Michael
Brown Jr. (1996–2014) at the hands of officer Darren Wilson in
Ferguson, Missouri, and takes its composition from Francisco Goya’s
1808 painting The Third of May. Be Alright and We Gon' BeAlright are inspired by the mass protests following the death of
Freddie Gray (1989–2015) in Baltimore, Maryland. These two events
and countless other killings have informed the Black Lives Matter
Movement for which Brown’s alleged last words—“hands up, don’t
shoot”—and Kendrick Lamar’s song “Alright” (2015) have become
iconic symbols of resistance.
The Deluge works memorialize those affected by the Syrian refugee
crisis. As of December 2017, roughly 13.1 million Syrian citizens are
in need of humanitarian assistance; 5.4 million have been displaced.
These three works are Informed by images from the historical canon
of shipwreck paintings such as Théodore Géricault’s The Raft ofMedusa (1818–19) as well as media images of Syrian refugees trying
to reach Europe by sea. The works on view continue Santiago's
exploration of ancestral memory and contemporary diasporic
experience.
ON VIEW Frida's Entry into Iguala, 2015 Collection of Pamela K. andWilliam A. Royall Jr., Richmond,Virginia
The Execution of UnarmedBlacks, 2015 Collection of Ebony Patterson,Lexington, Kentucky
We Gon' Be Alright, 2016 Collection of Tracey and PhillipRiese, New York
Be Alright, 2016 Courtesy of the artist and LizDimmitt, Brooklyn, New York
Deluge, 2015 Collection of Dr. KennethMontague, The Wedge Collection,Toronto
Deluge II, 2015 Collection of Tracey and PhillipRiese, New York
Deluge III, 2015 Collection of Tracey and PhillipRiese, New York
All works: mixed media diorama inreclaimed jewelry boxes
LOCATION Gallery 3
RELATED PROGRAM
STAFF PICKS Amber Esseiva Assistant Curator
May 17, 2018 12:30-1pm
icavcu.org/exhibtions/declaration/#mobile-tour
Frida's Entry into Iguala. Image courtesy of the artist
DECLARATION
APRIL 2 1s t –
SEPTEMBER 9 th
ICAVCU .ORG
#DECLARATION
# ICAVCU
ARTIST
PROFILE
DECLARATION
This moment will only mean something to me if it’s a true catalyst
and commitment to change. A commitment to rethinking how our
society and America treats its people, all its people.
—Curtis Talwst Santiago
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU ASAN ARTIST?
The complexity and simplicity of life that we
all experience. Finding a way to filter that
through my lens and push back into the world
a language that I feel reflects my opinions
and understandings of the human condition.
The journey to make the translation of these
feelings as truthful and concise as I can is
what motivates me.
The Execution of Unarmed Blacks. Image courtesy of the artist
We Gon' Be Alright. Image courtesy of the artist Be Alright. Image courtesy of the artist
INTERVIEW
ARTIST
PROFILE
DECLARATION
Born 1979, Edmonton, Canada; Lives in Brooklyn, New York
Santiago received his BFA in Drawing and Painting from New York Studio School and completed
an apprenticeship with Aboriginal artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun in Vancouver. Select solo
exhibitions: Rachel Uffner Gallery (2018); Gallery Momo in Johannesburg South Africa (2017);
Kenderdine Gallery at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon (2017); Rachel Uffner
Gallery in New York (2016); iAPM Exhibition in Shanghai, China (2016); and the Art Gallery of
Mississauga in Toronto, Ontario (2015). Select group exhibitions: The University of Connecticut
(2016); Savannah College of Art and Design (2016); The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York
(2015); and the Art Gallery of Ontario (2015). Collections include: Studio Museum, Harlem.
Select awards: Ontario Arts Council Emerging Artist Grant (2014), Scion Artist Session Grant
(2010), and CBC Galaxy Rising Star Grant (2003).
Installation view: Curtis Talwst Santiago, Infinity Series; Titus Kaphar, Forced out of Frame; and Winter Count, We are in Crisis, Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond, Virginia, 2018. Photo: Terry Brown
Deluge II and Deluge III. Images courtesy of the artist
BIOGRAPHY
ARTIST
PROFILE
DECLARATION