Double Rainbow: PRISMMMs at Transformer - the 2nd exhibition in Double Rainbow: Future Archives by Holly Bass & Maps Glover, presented in collaboration with CulturalDC - features video work and archival materials from the artists’ collaborative performances, that subvert the current art historical cannon. The archives reflect the artists’ creative history and cultural lineages.
“As a society, we have learned the power and importance of video documentation as a portal to the Black experience. Would George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police have become the catalyst for global protests without the steady impromptu camera work of Darnella Frazier? Would we know about the significant contributions of artists such as Adrian Piper, David Hammons, and Lorraine O’Grady if not for their photographic and video documentation? In a society that constantly seeks to erase Black artistry and innovation, creating public archives is of paramount importance.
By collaborating to create an exhibition of video work that showcases our live performance work, when we invite our parents cousins aunts, and uncles into the art space with us, we prioritize audiences that have been historically excluded from predominantly white art spaces. When we share our work on social media and invite our friends, collaborators, and other District residents into the gallery to see our work, we create opportunities for discussion and reflection on the beautiful complexity and diversity that exists within the Black community of Washington, DC. We shift the narrative. We represent ourselves, our cultural lineages, and our collective futures.
