Art is so important during times of resistance. If you’re in the Bay Area, you know the Bay is known for its subversive and political art scene. Don’t miss out on viewing these captivating exhibits listed below.
The Black Woman is God, on view at SOMArts from July 7 – August 17
The Black Woman is God: Reprogramming That God Code is an exhibit that celebrates the black female presence, featuring the work of more than 60 artists.
Dandy Lion: (Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity on view at the Museum of the African Diaspora from April 27 – September 18.
This exhibit is a photography and film-based exhibit documenting black men “who defy stereotypical and monolithic understandings of masculinity within the black community.”
Take This Hammer: Art + Media Activism in the Bay Area on view from March 11 – August 14, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
This exhibit explores the role of performance arts, visual art and technology in influencing the most pressing issues of our time.
Blood in the Sugar Bowl, on view at the Cantor Arts Center from July 1 – August 15
This exhibit focuses on sugar plantation slavery in the late-18th to mid-19th century, featuring sugar bowls from William Blake’s depictions of slave torture in his 1777 Narrative, of a five years’ expedition, against the revolted Negroes of Surinam.
The Grace Jones Project, on view April 27 – September 18, at the Museum of the African Diaspora
The Grace Jones Project examines the influence of model and actress Grace Jones. “Some artists pay direct tribute to Jones while others demonstrate a Jones-like sensibility in their engagement with the black body and queer identity.”
Oakland I Want You to Know… is on view at the Oakland Museum of California from July 23 – October 30.
This exhibit encapsulates the difficult conversations around race and gentrification in Oakland and the SF Bay Area. Made up of video installations, images and community projects, it aims to help viewers engage in important dialogue.
Sojourner Truth, Photography, and the Fight Against Slavery is on view July 27 – October 23 at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.
This exhibit honors the abolitionist, feminist and orator Sojourner Truth. It will showcase photographic carte de visite portraits of Truth that she sold at lectures and by mail as a way of making a living.
The Art of Thomas Tandy is on view at the African American Art & Culture Complex
In this exhibit the artist draws on symbolism from African art and meditates on the magic, passion and joy we live with.
Musical Chairs, on view at ProArts Gallery from September 2 – September 30
The exhibit, led by artist Warith Taha, is a community project that explores gentrification in the Bay Area. The exhibit, “incorporates assemblage-altered chairs to explore the gentrification process and its impact on the Bay Area art scene, local artists and native residents. As a metaphor for the displacement and movement of populations, Musical Chairs examines the way housing development works, and fails, in low-income communities.”
Talk to Brother Malcolm on view at OakStop from July 1 – October 31
Talk to Brother Malcolm is a group exhibition juxtaposing visual art with Malcolm X quotes to spark dialogue about Malcolm X’s legacy and lessons we can learn from his words today.
Black Magic, Naive Art From Haiti, on view from July 1 – July 30, at Warehouse 416
This exhibit features vibrant art from 1970s Haiti, including hand-cut frames and sculptures.
