Join us on Saturday, November 19th for the presentation of three exhibitions, throughout our recently expanded space in Northside, Cincinnati. Work by Billy Colbert (Philadelphia, PA), Vince Fraser (London, UK) and Susan Ferrari Rowley (Rochester, NY) will be on display. Some of which will be available for purchase.

More on Billy Colbert's work:
Discussions about race become more dynamic when we consider that—as a people—Black Americans have not yet had their moment to be regular day-to-day Americans.

From the documented violence of slavery to the visuals of the Jim Crow era and the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s and today’s Modern Black Superhero, what America knows of Blacks in America is a collection of troubling circumstances, questionable transactions, great feats of athleticism, slapstick humor, and of course the rhythmic vibes that hold it all together. What’s missing is an overall human experience. As artist Billy Colbert notes, if white America has never witnessed an average Black American, is there any surprise that Black Americans are rarely seen as just that—humans?

For over ten years, Colbert has been pulling together a massive collection of video footage to help tell the stories of the everyday Black American. From the cutting room floor to the shelves of a handheld camcorder enthusiast, Colbert finds ways to obtain never-before-published, moving portraits of Black Americans, which he then weaves together to create compelling narratives.

For Lessons Are Learned, Colbert presents a selection of these video collages that take the viewer on a new kind of journey. Tales of struggle, hope, and happiness are woven together to create unique visual experiences throughout The Gallery at Studeō PAR-. The film component is accompanied by a selection of wall-hung pieces to further establish Colbert’s narrative.

More on Susan Ferrari Rowley's work:
As a lover of nature and owner of multiple acres of protected grasslands in upstate New York, Susan Ferrari Rowley is particularly dialed into the heat index and temperature records our world continues to witness. This is one reason she chose to use photographs of the natural environment as her primary subject matter for Alterations in Dystopia [Studio Views].

From depictions of thriving corn crops, to images of isolated pest-infected trees, Rowley’s treatment of the recorded environment remains focused around changes she has witnessed as a long-term resident of a nature-leaning community. Representing both the joys a well-kept environment can provide, down to some of the destructive paths our population is taking as a whole, Rowley’s strong awareness of form pairs beautifully with the imagery she’s able to bring to the forefront.

Specifically utilizing original photography printed on vinyl, paired with human-scale sculptural forms, Rowley’s installations shed light on the possibility of our world’s downward spiral—particularly related to our natural environment. She takes this process one step further by installing linear elements throughout the work, simply designed to create distracting divisions in space.

With this work Susan Ferrari Rowley hopes to inspire conversations that can lead to change. From slightly altering one’s day to day habits, to encouraging policy shifts, Rowley believes we can all be part of much needed progress.

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This event is part of the 2022 FotoFocus Biennial. Now in its sixth iteration, the Biennial activates over 100 projects at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces throughout Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton and Columbus, Ohio in October 2022.

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Support for this 2022 FotoFocus Biennial exhibition was provided by FotoFocus

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