SAATCHI GALLERY TO PRESENT AS WE RISE: PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE BLACK ATLANTIC, A COMPELLING EXHIBITION OF WORKS BY BLACK ARTISTS FROM CANADA, UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN, THE CARIBBEAN, AND THE AFRICAN CONTINENT
As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic, a compelling exhibition of photographs from African Diasporic culture selected from the Wedge Collection, is to be presented at Saatchi Gallery this winter. Organised by Aperture and curated by Elliott Ramsey, the exhibition showcases work by Black artists from Canada, United States, Great Britain, The Caribbean, and the African Continent.
The exhibition celebrates works from the Wedge Collection, Canada’s largest privately-owned collection committed to championing Black artists, established by Dr Kenneth Montague in 1997. Explored through the concepts of community, identity, and power, viewers are invited to recognize the complexity – the strength, beauty, vulnerability, and diversity – of Black life. Works by established names such as Horace Ové, James Barnor and Carrie Mae Weems will be on display, as well as those of emerging talents such as Texas Isaiah and Arielle Bobb-Willis.
The title As We Rise is borrowed from a phrase that Dr Montague’s father would often invoke: “Lifting as we rise.” The adage suggests the importance of both individual and communal fortification; of empowering your community while striving for personal success. As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic embraces this sensibility and is the reason why the many works featured in the exhibition are gathered into the thematic sections of Community, Identity, and Power. In their depiction of an expansive sense of the familial and the familiar, they share a common thread. Black subjects are depicted by Black photographers; their gaze is mutual and consensual. But the imagery is far from uniform. Instead, it is as varied, surprising, and idiosyncratic as a family album.
Select highlights from the exhibition include:
• Sunday Morning, Detroit, Michigan (1950) by Gordon Parks, an icon of civil rights-era photography
• Nuit de Noël (1963) by Malick Sidibé, one of the most important photographers of post-colonial Africa who was recognized with the Hasselblad Award the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement
• First Self-Portrait (1975) by Carrie Mae Weems, among the most significant photographers of our time and renowned for her self-portraiture
• After Sir Joshua Reynolds’ “Portrait of Doctor Samuel Johnson” (2009) by Kehinde Wiley, a Nigerian American artist known for Barack Obama’s official portrait in Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
• My Name Is My Name I (2016) by Texas Isaiah, a rising star in contemporary photography, and the first trans photographer to shoot an edition cover for Vogue Magazine in 2020
As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic is touring internationally. This exhibition at Saatchi Gallery is its UK debut.
Elliott Ramsey, Exhibition Curator: “From the 1930s’ Harlem Renaissance, through post-colonial Bamako, to contemporary Toronto, As We Rise celebrates the polyphony of Black life — and the nuanced approaches of Black photographers in representing these scenes of love, leisure, and resistance.”
Dr Kenneth Montague, of the Wedge Collection: “I’m honoured to be sharing photographic works from my collection with a UK audience. As We Rise at the Saatchi Gallery will be a celebration of global Black culture through time, with images that reflect legacies of community, identity and power.”
The artists featured in the exhibition are:
Raphael Albert, Henry Clay Anderson, Tayo Yannick Anton, Liz Johnson Artur, James Barnor, Dawoud Bey, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Deanna Bowen, Jody Brand, Kwame Brathwaite, Sandra Brewster, Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Vanley Burke, Mohamed Camara, Kennedi Carter, Jorian Charlton, June Clark, Renee Cox, Erika DeFreitas, Jabulani Dhlamini, Stan Douglas, Louis Draper, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Samuel Fosso, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Courtney D. Garvin, Jérôme Havre, Barkley L. Hendricks, Leslie Hewitt, Texas Isaiah, Ayana V. Jackson, Rashid Johnson, Aaron Jones, Anique Jordan, Seydou Keïta, Lebohang Kganye, Luther Konadu, Deana Lawson, Zun Lee, Oumar Ly, João Mendes, Jalani Morgan, Dennis Morris, Aïda Muluneh, Eustáquio Neves, Jamal Nxedlana, Lakin Ogunbanwo, J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere, Bidemi Oloyede, Horace Ové, Gordon Parks, Michèle Pearson Clarke, Dawit L. Petros, Charlie Phillips, Afonso Pimenta, Ruddy Roye, Athi-Patra Ruga, Abdourahmane Sakaly, Jamel Shabazz, Abdo Shanan, Malick Sidibé, Xaviera Simmons, Ming Smith, Paul Anthony Smith, Sanlé Sory, Eve Tagny, Hank Willis Thomas, Mickalene Thomas, James Van Der Zee, Nontsikelelo Veleko, Ruby Washington, Ricky Weaver, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley
As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic – Selections from the Wedge Collection, is organized by Aperture and curated by Elliott Ramsey.
The accompanying book, As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic (Aperture, 2021), a 184-page catalogue and As We Rise: Sounds from the Black Atlantic (Aperture, 2023), a limited-edition vinyl record, both published by Aperture, are available to purchase in the Gallery Shop and through Saatchi Store Online.
Open from 5 November, 2024 to 20 January, 2025, this is a ticketed exhibition. A ticket will grant entry to As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic, Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation and Aneesa Dawoojee: March of the Hummingbirds (closes 5 January) – for the price usually reserved for a single exhibition ticket. Saatchi Gallery Winter Lates will take place on 8 November, 6 December and 17 January, featuring drawing classes, workshops and creative activations.
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About Elliott Ramsey
Elliott Ramsey is Curator of The Polygon Gallery. He holds a Master of Arts in Comparative Media Arts (2015) from Simon Fraser University. Ramsey is an alumnus of the Association of Art Museum Curators’ Professional Alliance for Curators of Colour, and has sat on numerous panels, advisories, and art juries including the Sobey Award, VIVA Award, Portfolio Prize, and Capture Photography Festival, among various other committees.
About Dr Kenneth Montague, the Wedge Collection
The Wedge Collection was started in 1997 by Dr Kenneth Montague to acquire and exhibit art that explores Black life. In addition to the Wedge Collection, Montague founded Wedge Curatorial Projects, a non-profit arts organization that helps support emerging Black artists. A Toronto-based art collector, Montague has been a member of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Board of Trustees since 2015 and has served on the African Acquisitions Committee at Tate Modern, London, as well as on the Photography Curatorial Committee of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. He is also a Trustee of Aperture, and a past member of the jury for the Scotiabank Photography Award, Canada’s largest photography prize. In 2016, Montague received an Honorary Doctorate from OCAD University, Toronto.
About Aperture
Aperture is a nonprofit publisher that leads conversations around photography worldwide. From our base in New York, Aperture connects global audiences and supports artists through our acclaimed quarterly magazine, books, exhibitions, digital platforms, public programs, limited-edition prints, and awards. Established in 1952 to advance “creative thinking, significantly expressed in words and photographs,” Aperture champions photography’s vital role in nurturing curiosity and encouraging a more just, tolerant society.
https://aperture.org/
About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history.
NOTES TO EDITORS
For all press enquiries, please contact +44 (0) 20 7811 3091, or:
Niamh Elain, Marketing & Press Executive, niamh.e@saatchigallery.com
Amelia Okell, Head of Communications, amelia@saatchigallery.com
Dates
Open to the public: 5 November 2024 – 20 January 2025, 10AM – 6PM
Saatchi Lates: Friday 8 November, Friday 6 December, Friday 17 January
Spaces
As We Rise will occupy the First Floor Galleries.
Admission
This is a ticketed exhibition. A ticket will grant entry to both As We Rise and Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation – Saatchi Gallery’s two major Winter exhibitions which will simultaneously – for the price usually reserved for a single exhibition ticket. Saatchi Gallery Winter Lates will take place on 8 November, 6 December and 17 January, featuring workshops led by Saatchi Gallery Learning.
Walk-ins are welcome but pre-booking is advised. Tickets can be booked in advance online at https://www.saatchigallery.com/product/winter-exhibitions
Images
Download the press images on the link above. By using the images, you acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions found on our website. These images can only be reproduced to illustrate a review or criticism of a work or report as defined by section 30 (i) and (ii) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Social Media
Join the discussion about the exhibition online with #AsWeRise
Instagram: @saatchi_gallery TikTok, X: @saatchi_gallery Facebook: @saatchigalleryofficial
School visits & Community groups
With the generous support of all our patrons, for each major exhibition, there are opportunities for students and community groups to engage in creative projects and workshops. For more details, visit www.saatchigallery.com/learning or call +44 (0) 20 7811 3087.