jina valentine: Exhibit of American Negroes, Revisited
September 7–Oct 29, 2021
Please note: For entry into DEPS spaces, masks as well as proof of vaccination or proof of a negative Covid test within the last 72 hours are required.
For the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, W.E.B. Du Bois led the creation of a series of modernist drawings that visualized data on the state of Black life in America as a part of the Exhibit of American Negroes. In Exhibit of American Negroes, Revisited, jina valentine utilizes 2020 Census information to update Du Bois’s works with contemporary data.
valentine’s interdisciplinary practice is informed by the intuitive strategies of American folk artists and traditional craft techniques and steeped with curiosity for information and how to organize it. In her inquiries, she reveals and interweaves latent stories found within texts, objects, narratives, and spaces. Exhibit of American Negroes, Revisited builds upon her core practice. valentine’s drawings maintain the composition, aesthetic, and areas of inquiry of the originals while revealing patterns, progress, and impasses in the socioeconomic development of Black Americans over the past century.
Along with valentine’s work, this exhibition will present a selection of prints from Du Bois’s initial data visualizations that are housed in the Library of Congress. Exhibit of American Negroes, Revisited examines the illustrations in the context of the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, where they were first shown, and explores how they have been framed historically and revisited by artists and researchers over time.
This project is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Graham Foundation individual artists grant, and Foundation for Contemporary Art.
Programming
Note: All programming for Exhibit of American Negroes, Revisited will take place online.
Thursday, October 7, 6–8 p.m.
jina valentine in conversation with Mimi Onuoha
Register here
Thursday, October 28, 6–8 p.m.
jina valentine in conversation with Tracie Hall
Register here
A digital version of the exhibit catalog can be viewed here:
jina valentine is a mother, visual artist, and Associate Professor of Printmedia at SAIC. She has exhibited at venues including The Drawing Center, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. She has been an artist in residence at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, Joan Mitchell Center, Banff Centre, Santa Fe Art Institute, Marble House, and the Women's Studio Workshop. Her work has received recognition and support from the Graham Foundation, Joan Mitchell Foundation, and Art Matters among others. She is also co-founder (with Heather Hart) of Black Lunch Table, an oral-history archiving project. jina received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon and her MFA from Stanford University.
DEPS is proud to present the DEPS Artist Profile Series featuring jina valentine. The DEPS Artist Profile Series is designed by and managed by Kaylee Fowler. To view these interactive documents featuring artist interviews click on the image below.
Glass Curtain Gallery–Columbia College Chicago
1104 S Wabash Ave, 1st Floor, Chicago, IL 60605
Gallery Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Please note: For entry into DEPS spaces, masks as well as proof of vaccination or proof of a negative Covid test within the last 72 hours are required.
