Black Venus

“Black Venus” is an exhibition that surveys the legacy of Black women in visual culture – from fetishized, colonial-era caricatures, to the present-day reclamation of the rich complexity of Black womanhood by 19 artists. This exhibition is a celebration of Black beauty, an investigation into the many faces of Black femininity and the shaping of Black women in the public conscious – then and now.

Juxtaposed against archival depictions of Black women dating back to 1793, the contemporary works on view collectively create a global, cross-generational investigation into Black women’s reclamation of agency amid the historical fetishization of the Black female body.

By visiting the exhibition and exploring the Black female image from the late-1700s until now, viewers are invited to confront the racial and sexual objectification and embodied resistance that make up a significant part of the Black women’s experience—and to celebrate the current upheaval of this stereotype, at the hands of Black artists. In an age where Black women are taking positions in power, fronting the covers of fashion magazines, and taking up space in all manner of fields and industries, it is a reminder to look back and see how far we have come, so we can look to the future.

Artists involved:

Sadie Barnette (b. 1984, Oakland, CA)
Widline Cadet (b. 1992, Pétion-Ville, Haiti)
Shawanda Corbett (b. 1989, New York, NY)
Renee Cox (b. 1960, Colgate, Jamaica)
Ayana V. Jackson (b. 1977, Livingston, NJ)
Deana Lawson (b. 1979, Rochester, NY)
Zanele Muholi (b. 1972, Umlazi, South Africa)
Jenn Nkiru (b. 1987, London, UK)
Amber Pinkerton (b. 1997, Kingston, Jamaica)
Tabita Rezaire (b. 1989, Paris, France)
Coreen Simpson (b. 1942, New York, NY)
Ming Smith (b. 1950, Detroit, MI)
Maud Sulter (b. 1960, Glasgow, Scotland; d. 2008, Dumfries, Scotland)
Kara Walker (b. 1969, Stockton, CA)
Carrie Mae Weems (b. 1953, Portland, OR)
Alberta Whittle (b. 1980, Bridgetown, Barbados)
Carla Williams (b. 1965, Los Angeles, CA)
Mickalene Thomas (b. 1971 Camden, NJ)
Deux Femmes Noires