The Black Image Corporation

25 April - 28 July 2019

• 

  Moneta Sleet Jr, 1965

• Moneta Sleet Jr, 1969

• Isaac Sutton, 1965

• Isaac Sutton, n.d.

• "The Black Image Corporation". A project by Theaster Gates, 20 September 2018 - 14. Januar 2019, Fondazione Prada Osservatorio; Courtesy: Fondazione Prada

Theaster Gates has conceived a participatory exhibition highlighting the works of two photographers, Moneta Sleet Jr. and Isaac Sutton, which is on display at the Gropius Bau.

The project explores the fundamental legacy of Johnson Publishing Company archives, which feature more than 4 million images and have contributed to shape the aesthetic and cultural languages of the contemporary African American identity.

Beauty and black female power at the Gropius Bau

“For this show, I hope to tease out the creation of female iconic moments by Sleet and Sutton and also offer small forays into the lives of everyday people through never-before-seen images from the Johnson Collection,” stated Gates. “The archives speak about beauty and black female power. Today it seems to me a good time to dig into the visual lexicon of the American book and show images that are rarely seen outside of my community.”

«The Black Image Corporation»: Prints, photos and video

The Black Image Corporation displays 10 large format prints realized by Sleet and Sutton and selected by Gates, as well as 112 photographs in four especially conceived cabinets. Within this set-up, visitors will be able to browse and read original copies of Ebony and Jet magazines. Michigan Avenue In Full Bloom (2018), a video shot by Gates and documenting the real architectural spaces where the offices were located, will be displayed in the show.