Where I Seek I Find Myself
Space: MoCADA / 80 Hanson Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Role: Curatorial Fellow assisting Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Adama Delphine Fawundu, and James E. Bartlett
Dates: Apr. 12 – Sept. 30, 2018
Artists: Hélène Amouzou, Joana Choumali, Fanta Diop, Manyatsa Monyamane, Johanne Rahaman, Miora Rajaonary, and Nina Robinson
Exploring the concept of home through the lenses of photographers, Hélène Amouzou, Joana Choumali, Fanta Diop, Manyatsa Monyamane, Johanne Rahaman, Miora Rajaonary, and Nina Robinson, Where I Seek, I Find Myself, delves into the notion of home as a concept. From our community, to our physical body, to the place we lay our head at night, home is central to our being. It is often a defining element in our life’s narrative. Where we come from, who we identify with, and how we perceive ourselves, are each vital components of the self. Despite this fact, the notion of home is a notoriously elusive concept. Our homes are difficult to describe to someone who has never been there to experience it. Seeing someone’s home from the outside can only offer a glimpse of the whole, but to be invited into that home can be an unforgettable experience.
Featuring photography from the Bronx, the American South (Arkansas & Florida), the Caribbean, Europe, and South Africa, this exhibition offers a jumbled mixture of representations of home. At once nowhere and everywhere, the viewer experiences the self in three parts: 1) Outdoors in the community, 2) In the “house”, and 3) In the body. Intentionally geographically disorienting, this exhibition challenges the viewer to find the common threads in “homes” throughout the African Diaspora.
This exhibition was inspired by, MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora, a commemorative publication committed to establishing and representing a collective voice of women photographers of African descent. The inaugural issue of MFON features over 100 women photographers across the Diaspora. MFON is founded by award winning documentary photographer, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn and critically acclaimed, award winning visual artist, Adama Delphine Fawundu with the goal of creating awareness of the impact that women photographers of African descent have in the world.
Photography courtesy of MoCADA