"Curating Commemoration: Poiesis / Remedy" [Providence Biennial]
9 RISD alumni are featured in the 2023 Providence Biennial for Contemporary Art, with the Poiesis section curated by Melaine Ferdinand-King and the Remedy section curated by Joel Rosario Tapia.
From the Providence Biennial for Contemporary Art:
The overarching title of our initial mentored exhibition, Curating Commemoration, affirms a vigorous connection between remembrance and the contemporary art/culture matrix. As the emerging curators investigated the perpetuation of historical memory through current memorializing practices, they found these often sustain a condition of power and domination. A reconsideration of memorializing encouraged the curators to move beyond the self-serving values of earlier (and persistent) 'timeless' monuments to propose and realize new perspectives on commemoration.
Research and reflection on curating commemoration hastened the development of an activist curatorial response. Each curator selected and has determined ways to juxtapose thought-provoking, culturally distinctive, medialogically diverse works of art created locally, in Greater Providence. The two concurrent exhibitions that together comprise Curating Commemoration reflect the unique lens of each curator. In summer, 2023, they are presented for broad public response and debate.
The exhibition has received significant press coverage, with a GoLocalProv article by Michael Rose, The Public's Radio article by James Baumgartner and a Boston Art Review article compiled by the editorial team. Read Ferdinand-King's curator statement for Poiesis here, Rosario Tapia's curator statement for Remedy here and information about the overarching theme of Curating Commemoration here.
Featured alumni
- Isaiah Aladejobi MID 23
- Dorian Epps 21 ID
- Margery Fischer Winter 69 PT MAT 73
- Fu’una MA 14 AE (Kameko Branchaud)
- Lilly Manycolors MA 22 GAC
- Erminio Pinque 83 IL (Big Nazo)
- Isaiah 'Prophet' Raines 25 SC
- Shey ‘Ri Acu’ Rivera Rios MA 23 GAC
- Elijah Trice MArch 23
