About this event:

Opening Reception, December 12th // 7pm – 10pm
(rsvp@gallery38.com )

Conscientizacao: The state of perceiving social, political, and economic contradictions, in order to take action against the oppressive elements of reality.

In order for “the struggle” to truly liberate, the oppressed must first find our oppressors out. We, the oppressed, have falsely idolized and trusted a talented tenth in the inner cities of America. This tenth, Du Bois feared, would assimilate to the oppressor’s system in order to maintain their position of power, free from cultural accountability. Our current social conditioning, led by this oppressive tenth, has produced a mass of automatons—well-fed cogs in the oppressor’s machine. As a people, we have internalized this reality, sacrificing conscientizacao*, often manifesting violence horizontally throughout our communities.

Within our inner cities, we must reach a level of supreme consciousness in order to unveil our everyday realities and reflect upon them critically. Such critical reflection will lead us toward united action or activism in depth against the common oppressor. Only upon reaching a totality of reflection and action will a true liberation be reached by the oppressed masses.

This body of work critically examines oppressive-conformist constructs within our cities in order to act upon them with committed involvement, becoming their permanent re-creators.