November 8 - January 11, 2020
“In the spring of 2018, Jamal Cyrus was awarded the BMW travel grant, which presents awarded artists with the opportunity of creating a journey designed to transform their approach to art-making. During his journey in the summer of 2018, Cyrus sought to learn about the influence that migration and displacement had on the expressive practices within the African Diaspora. This 45-day trip took him to four continents, seven countries, twelve cities and left him with a set of experiences and a repository of information he will be unpacking for years to come.
The results of Cyrus’s travel-research are manifested in his latest exhibition at Inman Gallery, his first since 2016. “Currents and Currencies” is based on the exchange of commerce and ideas that has occurred between the cultures of the Atlantic rim for centuries. Cyrus’ thought process begins with the flow of ocean currents such as the North and South Equatorial Currents. These “rivers” within our oceans make travel between continents, such as Africa and South America, natural, organic, and even inevitable. Highlighting the international reach of Black cultural forms and their global influences, the works in the exhibition sometimes take unexpected turns and involve new interactions which we may not anticipate but are connected by Cyrus’ experiences and desire to map the illusive domains of history and creative expression.”
Opening: November 8, 2019 | 6–8 pm
Conversation: November 9, 2019 | 12–1 pm
Jamal Cyrus and Dr. Alvia Wardlaw in conversation
Conversation: January 4, 2020 | 1–2 pm
Jamal Cyrus, DJ Flash Gordon Parks, and musician Jamire Williams
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