The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) has always been a welcoming space for those who want to study historical art as well as those who want to see how art has evolved in the present. NCMA currently has an exhibition open to the public which highlights three artists: the Beautiful Project, Stephen Hayes and Hồng-Ân Trương. This exhibit will be open from Sept. 4, 2021 through Feb. 13, 2022.
The Beautiful Project, which was founded in 2004, is a North Carolina-based collective of Black artists, scholars and educators that focuses on Black women’s and girls’ voices. The theme of this collection is Memory is Ritual: A Remembrance of Ourselves. The collection focuses on how individuals relearn throughout their lives about their mind, spirit and body. This exhibition has a variety of visuals, both still and moving, as well as a mix of audio and written items. This exhibition truly was one to sit down and think about. The ideas that are depicted make the audience think about their past and where they come from, as well as question what they will bring to the table for future generations. More information can be found at www.thebeautifulproject.org.
Stephen Hayes is an artist who focuses on woodcuts, sculptures and installations. He uses various materials to create his art and draws inspiration from social and economic themes that are common in the history of America and African-Americans. In his NCMA installation, he presents a circular wall placement that shows black hands in a limp style surrounded with brass casings. This was inspired by the murders of Black people that have been a common occurrence in the past 15 years. He uses a combination of Hydro-Stone, brass shell casings, paint, wood and resin to show the brass casing. For more information on Stephen Hayes and his work, visit his website, www.stephenhayescreations.com.
Hồng-Ân Trương is an interdisciplinary artist who explores the impacts of immigration, refugeeism and colonialism on history and culture. She believes that where language fails, sounds and visuals help bridge the gap between these experiences. The project title, We Are Beside Ourselves, focuses on the protests and radical movements of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The artist also focuses on the resistance efforts of Asian Americans during this time. She presents mediums of carbon single transfer prints on mirror, archival pigment print on Phototex, lithographs and sound references to the platforms of the Black Panther, the Young Lords, the White Panthers and I Wor Kuen. For more information on her work, visit http://www.hongantruong.com.
By Sofia Gomez, Podcasting Director