Harlem Postcards: Wish You Were Here
07 Jun - 08 Sep 2018
HARLEM POSTCARDS: WISH YOU WERE HERE
7 June – 8 September 2018
Since 2002, Harlem Postcards invites artists of diverse backgrounds to reflect on Harlem as a site of cultural activity, political vitality, and creative production. Representing intimate and dynamic perspectives of Harlem, the images reflect each artist’s oeuvre with an idiosyncratic snapshot taken in, or representative of, this historic locale. While some artists have had long-standing relationships to Harlem—either through their personal histories or studio practices—others offer unique perspectives on what it means to portray a community through the lens of an outsider. By embracing the challenge of capturing a place in a single photograph, the artists aimed their cameras at both familiar and, at times, surprising sights and moments that demonstrate the complexity and diversity of the neighborhood. Viewed as a series, Harlem Postcards document the inevitabilities of change and progress, all while celebrating the beauty, joy, and liveliness of Harlem—particularly as it looks towards the future.
Harlem Postcards: Wish You Were Here presents over fifty historic Harlem Postcards, in addition to four new commissions by Isaac Diggs, tarah douglas, Nate Lewis, and Expanding the Walls participant Jossie Rivera. The prints and photographs on view present the nuanced range of images captured around the neighborhood, from Harlem’s architecture to its colorful commercial goods. Each artists expands the notion of what belongs on a postcard, ultimately bringing visibility to Harlem’s different communities. This project continues the Studio Museum’s commitment to the visual history of Harlem, and its many residents.
Harlem Postcards: Wish You Were Here is on view at Studio Museum 127, located at 429 West 127th St, New York, NY 10027. Studio Museum 127 hours are Thursday through Sunday, 12 to 6 pm.
Harlem Postcards: Wish You Were Here is organized by Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator, with Doris Zhao, Curatorial Assistant.
7 June – 8 September 2018
Since 2002, Harlem Postcards invites artists of diverse backgrounds to reflect on Harlem as a site of cultural activity, political vitality, and creative production. Representing intimate and dynamic perspectives of Harlem, the images reflect each artist’s oeuvre with an idiosyncratic snapshot taken in, or representative of, this historic locale. While some artists have had long-standing relationships to Harlem—either through their personal histories or studio practices—others offer unique perspectives on what it means to portray a community through the lens of an outsider. By embracing the challenge of capturing a place in a single photograph, the artists aimed their cameras at both familiar and, at times, surprising sights and moments that demonstrate the complexity and diversity of the neighborhood. Viewed as a series, Harlem Postcards document the inevitabilities of change and progress, all while celebrating the beauty, joy, and liveliness of Harlem—particularly as it looks towards the future.
Harlem Postcards: Wish You Were Here presents over fifty historic Harlem Postcards, in addition to four new commissions by Isaac Diggs, tarah douglas, Nate Lewis, and Expanding the Walls participant Jossie Rivera. The prints and photographs on view present the nuanced range of images captured around the neighborhood, from Harlem’s architecture to its colorful commercial goods. Each artists expands the notion of what belongs on a postcard, ultimately bringing visibility to Harlem’s different communities. This project continues the Studio Museum’s commitment to the visual history of Harlem, and its many residents.
Harlem Postcards: Wish You Were Here is on view at Studio Museum 127, located at 429 West 127th St, New York, NY 10027. Studio Museum 127 hours are Thursday through Sunday, 12 to 6 pm.
Harlem Postcards: Wish You Were Here is organized by Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator, with Doris Zhao, Curatorial Assistant.