SUPREMACY: WHO PROTECTS ME FROM YOU?

Artists: Julian Alexander | Mel D. Cole

Curator: Khadijat Oseni

NOW ON DISPLAY

On the one-year anniversary of last year’s Capitol insurrection, and at the beginning of an election year, Supremacy: Who Protects Me from You? considers January 6, 2021, a disturbing portrait of one such broken system, and just another day in a long history of white supremacist violence.

The new installation, in the St. Ann’s Warehouse archways on Old Dock Street, aims its lens on the legislative branch of the US government. The events at the Capitol are explosively captured by Mel D. Cole and Reuters photographer Leah Millis, and contextualized by artist Julian Alexander. A pointed redaction by Alexander—to a quote from Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger—underscores the notion that despite the insurrection’s horror, it is but one of the countless “darkest days in American history” for non-white people.

St. Ann’s Warehouse
Old Dock Street Facade
45 Water Street | dumbo BKLYN 11201

WE THE PEOPLE

Artists: Julian Alexander | Cyrus Aaron | Mahogany L. Browne | justin el | Adeolu Osibodu
Curator: Khadijat Oseni

NOW ON DISPLAY

“Take no one’s word for anything, including mine – but trust your experience. Know whence you came. If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go.”  – James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time 

With this series, the “We the People” phrase is juxtaposed with imagery by Nigerian photographer Adeolu Osibodu, of strong, vulnerable, complete people that conjure ancestral memories suspended in space and time. The light boxes are paired with accompanying haikus rooted in the African tradition of call-and-response by poets Cyrus Aaron, Mahogany L. Browne, and justin el.

Artist Julian Alexander anchors this sea of diasporic voices with a text-only piece of art: “ALWAYS BEEN 5/5 a ____.” serving as a meditative pause and update on the iconic “I AM A MAN” signage that has since become synonymous with the fight for social justice.

St. Ann’s Warehouse
Water Street Facade
45 Water Street | dumbo BKLYN 11201

SUPREMACY PROJECT

@SUPREMACYPROJECT
#WHOPROTECTSMEFROMYOU

Supremacy Project addresses the systemic oppression and violence BIPOC communities are fighting to end through art, and encourages engagement in a “close examination of broken systems, marginalized communities, and the reordering of shared values.” – Forbes.

ST. ANN’S WAREHOUSE: URBAN CANVAS

The challenges of the pandemic inspired St. Ann’s staff to literally think outside the box. If we couldn’t program our space and invite audiences inside, how could we as an arts organization respond to the urgency of Black Lives Matter and an historic moment of mourning and protest? It was simple — if you can’t come to us, we’ll come to you. Thus the idea was born — to deploy our beloved building as an amplified, interactive urban canvas of huge images and raw passions to meet the moment.
To learn about previous Urban Canvas exhibits at St. Ann’s Warehouse, Please click HERE.

Supremacy and We The People are free to view outdoors, no registration required. For questions, contact the [email protected]

Installation Photos by Jose Cabaco