Viktor le. Givens: The In Between Space: Black Magic. Black Manhood. Black Matter.
@ Rootwork Gallery
645 W 18th Street, Chicago, IL 60616
Opening Friday, September 9th, from 6PM - 10PM
On view through Saturday, November 12th
Inspired by the “conjure” writings of Charles Chestnutt and the short story “The Man who Lived Underground” by Richard Wright, this immersive exhibition functions as a series of speculative ethnographic installations exploring le. Givens’ reflections on matter, ancestry, memory and the position of black men in both physical and metaphysical space.
le. Givens says of this work: “This installation is my propitiatory temple to men with gifts—sight seeing, dream catching, street prophesying alchemists–the brothers whose identity and operations may not garner the attention of the mainstream. In navigating the future of black masculinity we have to understand how the black male body moves through literal and figurative space, sometimes unseen, sometimes hyper-visible and more often negotiating the place in between these spaces.”
About Viktor le. Givens
Viktor le. Givens is an installation and performance artist whose practice centers around the gathering of ancestral objects to activate spaces for site-specific rituals. His materials frequently include forgotten and discarded household items and personal effects. Through the accumulation of these cultural artifacts, le. Givens seeks to create spaces that inspire the activation of cultural memory and support African-American spiritual continuities. His work was been presented at a range of spaces, including Glass Curtain Gallery, South Side Community Art Center, the Art Institute of Chicago, and recently as part of Fo Wilson’s Eliza’s Peculiar Cabinet of Curiosities at Lynden Sculpture Garden in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Givens is currently an MFA candidate in Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts at Columbia College Chicago. Visit the Artist’s Website
About Rootwork Gallery
Rootwork Gallery supports and showcases artistic expression that has healing, reconciliation—personal and collective, reflective practice, and investigation of folk, street and indigenous cultures at its core.
The In Between Space: Black Magic. Black Manhood. Black Matter. is open for view at Rootwork Gallery every second Friday of the month from 6-10pm and by appointment. Rootwork Gallery is located at 645 West 18th Street, in Pilsen. For more information about exhibition related events or to make an appointment, contact Tracie Hall at rootworkgallery@gmail.com or 917.821.3050.
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Tags: Chicago, Pilsen, Rootwork, Viktor Le, Viktor le. Givens: The In Between Space: Black Magic. Black Manhood. Black Matter.
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