Exploring Truths

A massive new group show at one of Buffalo, New York’s premiere contemporary art galleries – Albright-Knox – explores the vast complexity of Black American and Canadian life through the works of 23 emerging and established Black artists. On view until June 5, In These Truths features works in paint, sculpture, photography and installation, all offering distinct perspectives on the Black experience. 

Curated by multidisciplinary artists Edreys Wajed and Aitina Fareed-Cooke along with Albright-Knox’s curator of Public Art, Aaron Ott, the exhibition’s concept and title are a critical reflection on the introductory sentence of the United States  Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...” Given the oppressive course of American history and its many present-day inequalities, the Declaration’s promise has not been delivered. In These Truths unites the powerful work of 23 Black artists to capture the complicated realities of Black life, while – as the exhibition’s curators assert – “honor[ing] the fact that Black bodies, Black thought, Black labor, and Black culture are foundational elements on which our nation is constructed.”

While most of the artists included in the exhibition were born or reside in the US, three hail from Canada. For In These Truths, Nigerian-Canadian artist Oluseye Ogunlesi unveiled a new installation entitled Hot Commodity. This series of antique vending machines stacked vertically displays various artifacts or – as they’re described by Ogunlesi – pieces of “diasporic debris.” These include durags, brown sugar, cowrie shells and more. 

Esmaa Mohamoud, Double Dribble. Installation view of In These Truths (Albright-Knox Northland, February 19–June 5, 2022). Photo: Brenda Bieger for Albright-Knox, Buffalo, New York. 

Additionally, contributing a work in installation is African-Canadian artist Esmaa Mohamoud, whose art is also represented in the AGO Collection (A Seat Above The Table (Warren Moon), 2018). Continuing her theme of using sporting materials as a means of commenting on Black life, Mohamoud’s Double Dribble consists of five wall-mounted basketball hoops of various sizes, each with a long chain-link mesh.    

Adeyemi Adegbesan, Let it Fly (Prayer for a Black Boy – Reprise), 2020. Installation view of In These Truths (Albright-Knox Northland, February 19–June 5, 2022). Photo: Brenda Bieger for Albright-Knox, Buffalo, New York.

Finally, Canadian artist Adeyemi Adegbesan’s digital photograph Let it Fly (Prayer for a Black Boy – Reprise) is part of the In These Truths lineup. This large-scale photograph depicts a figure in a gown, adorned in afro-futurist accessories, while shooting what appears to be a jump shot – but rather than a basketball, we see a dove in flight. 

In June 2020, we spoke with Adegbesan (who also goes by the moniker Yung Yemi) about his work as a street artist in Toronto. 

In These Truths is on view until June 5 at Albright-Knox Northland in Buffalo, New York. Check out the Albright-Knox homepage for a list of dynamic in-person and digital programming to accompany the exhibition. 

Stay tuned to the AGOinsider for more art news from the AGO and beyond.