11.10.23 - 04.21.24

Kevin Claiborne: Lost Boys

Exhibition Info

Time
On view Nov. 10, 2023 – Apr. 21, 2024

Where can Blackness reach

Was Blackness first

Can Blackness be worn

Where is Black enough

What is Black enough

When is Black enough

Kevin Claiborne is a conceptual photographer whose work engages viewers in critical self-reflection and collective examination of the Black experience. In his mural Lost Boys, the artist challenges established notions of cultural legibility and encourages viewers to delve deeper into the origins, embodiment, and sufficiency of Blackness, including its impact on mental health.

Superimposed upon text, the repeated face of an unidentified Black male youth takes center stage, sourced from a photograph captured in Harlem, New York during the early 1900s. The repeated image of the unidentified young boy carries a symbolic weight, representing not only the individual, but also a broader collective experience. 

Painted in vibrant shades of blue and black, the boy’s direct gaze confronts the viewer while the repeated patterning and overlay of text pushes and pulls the colorful faces between differing levels of visibility.

Lost Boys is presented by BRIC and Prospect Park Alliance, in partnership with NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program.

Bios

40623_GVA_008_07 copy 2

Kevin Claiborne

(He/Him)
Born in Camp Springs, Maryland; based in Harlem, New York City