We cannot escape our origins,
however hard we might try,
those origins contain the key
--could we but find it--
to all that we later become.
- James Baldwin, Notes on a Native Son
Chicago Artists Coalition is pleased to present This is What We Know, a HATCH Projects exhibition featuring works of art by William Camargo, Andrea Coleman, India Martin, Mitsu Salmon, and Darryl DeAngelo Terrell.
As people of color and ethnic minorities in the Americas, we often go through life seeing images of ourselves that have been selected by the majority to represent who we are and what we are capable of doing. This often leads to a sense of loss and disconnection to one’s origins. However, when the power is taken back into the hands of Black and Brown folx, the mundane becomes extraordinary and cultures and families are truly celebrated. This is What We Know surveys the contemporary tracking and archiving of communities of color. The histories of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people in the Americas has often been misrepresented, fetishized, or erased. As it would often happen, these communities took it upon themselves to explore and celebrate their past. Before there was a name for it, grassroots historians and DIY archivist were thriving and doing work vital work within their communities.
This is What We Know looks into the families and communities of artists of color to document their realities. The artists are in themselves historians and archivists of their respective people. Beyond the cataloguing of old family photos and recording of stories, these works interpret childhood memories, passages of time, family lineages, and so much more. Through the documentation of their environments, these artists are continuing an often radical tradition of reclaiming their origins and creating their own narratives.
This is What We Know is curated by Jamillah Hinson.