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

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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