Mariane Ibrahim is pleased to present Invisible Threads are the Strongest Ties, a compelling survey exhibition into the artistic journey of Ayana V. Jackson over the past decade and marks the artist’s first major exhibition in Mexico.
The exhibition features a selection of photographs from various series by the artist, including Archival Impulse (2011-2013), Dear Sarah (2016), Wild as the Wind (2015), Intimate Justice in the Stolen Moment (2018), Additionally, it will unveil an exciting new body of work from the most recent series You Forgot to See Me Coming (2023).
For Jackson, this exhibition represents a homecoming. Her journey into photography began precisely in Mexican territory, where she portrayed Afro-descendant populations in the Costa Chica and Veracruz in her series African by Legacy, Mexican by Birth. While this series is not part of the current exhibition, it marked a pivotal point in the evolution of her approach to photography.
We witness this period of transformation in Jackson's work in 2011 when the artist makes the bold decision to transition from being solely behind the camera to becoming the protagonist in her portraits. In her own words, "I felt that there was something in the way I was working that was generating more trauma...How could I stay still? I felt the need to shake myself up, move, and ask how do we see ourselves—what do I want to see?"
This shift resulted in the series located in the first room of the exhibition, Archival Impulse, a title that alludes to the creation of new knowledge systems by confronting the archives. In this case, the confrontation begins with European photographic archives from the colonial era. The artist appropriates these archives to question the power dynamics embedded within, compelling us to reflect on the epistemological potential of the original photographs.
Historical reenactment continues in Wild as the Wind, where Jackson dons nineteenth-century attire to present herself as a subject capable of self-expression on her own terms, with full agency of movement. These portraits engage in a dialogue with the rigid images of the era, transforming them into representations that transcend the confines of paper. The artist locks eyes with the camera, asserting her transition from a dehumanized object to a powerful subject in all her glory.
Intimate Justice in the Stolen Moment continues this exploration of movement. Historically laden with burdens, black women's bodies are liberated through levity in Jackson's work, countering the enduring legacy of dehumanization. This series incorporates the sole video presentation in the exhibition, juxtaposing the delicate act of dressing and undressing with a song that harkens to the tragic narrative of Sarah Baartman, known as the Hottentot Venus. This serves as a potent commentary on how white gaze historically reduced black women to spectacles.
Jackson scrutinizes the multifaceted identity of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a historical figure enslaved by the Dahomey kingdom in the nineteenth century, subsequently becoming a protege and goddaughter of Queen Victoria of England in the series Dear Sarah. Each image navigates the various names that defined Sarah throughout her life, inviting viewers to probe the distinctions and commonalities among these facets.
In the final room we are presented with the pieces that will undoubtedly resonate with a Mexican audience and constitute the most recent works exhibited from her new series, You Forgot to See Me Coming. This new body of works, developed during her residency at Alturas Foundation, explore the intersection of black and indigenous women in early twentieth-century armed conflicts, notably the Mexican Revolution. Employing period characterization, these works evoke levity as a thematic focal point. The artist references figures such as Carmen Robles from the Casasola archive, a black colonel who fought in the Zapatista army, thereby confronting and subverting prevalent racist representations within Mexican history.
Ayana V. Jackson's work is essential for facilitating discussions about the anti-colonial and anti-racist potential of photography, especially in a country like Mexico, where photography was often used to document "criminals" and social undesirables throughout the twentieth century. Invisible Threads are the Strongest Ties serves as a powerful reminder of the dignity of our bodies and our right to shape the narratives surrounding them. Jackson uses the camera as a tool to challenge and subvert the racist representations of the past. What if we had the opportunity to show up on our own terms?
Excerpt from text by writer Jumko Ogata.
