ICA’s “Great Force” explores race
Showing Nov. 22 – Jan. 5
History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do.
—James Baldwin “The White Man’s Guilt.” Ebony Magazine, 1965
Images on the Cabell Screen are from “Great Force,” the current exhibition at the VCU Institute fpr Contemporary Art. “Great Force” addresses the force of whiteness, the counter-force of black resistance, and the persistence of the color line in the United States.
With new commissions and recent work by 24 artists, the exhibition presents painting, sculpture, photography, video, and performance that examine race in the United States. The exhibition extends from the first floor Beverly Reynolds Gallery and Royal Forum to the ICA’s second floor galleries, and includes offsite works, performances and public programs.
Works selected from exhibiting artists:
Radcliffe Bailey
Benae Beamon
Kevin Beasley
Alexandra Bell
Paul Stephen Benjamin
Sedrick Chisom
Tony Cokes
Bethany Collins
Aria Dean
Tomashi Jackson
Richard Kennedy
Pope.L
Charlotte Lagarde
Glenn Ligon
Mores McWreath
Troy Michie
Shani Peters
Robert Pruitt
John Lucas & Claudia Rankine
Paul Mpagi Sepuya
Xaviera Simmons
Sable Elyse Smith
Carrie Mae Weems
The Racial Imaginary Institute