Presented in Collaboration with Mobius Inc.
Show Dates: June 8 - July 30
Reception: Saturday, June 18, 6-9 PM
James Ellis Coleman
Altered Ephemera: Unearthing Histories of Racism and Acculturation
“We owe it to ourselves not to re-write history just because we take offense to it. Rather, by continually contextualizing what history has produced, we can better understand its intentional and unintentional impact and intent. Altering the context and format of historical works enables me to highlight the content and meaning of the original expression and provides understanding of the past in our present. I believe there is integrity to original materials and objects produced for/in another age, no matter how offensive I, or others, might find them to be (for example, black memorabilia or hate literature produced throughout the 19th and early 20th century).
Many individuals have denied historical events including the Armenian genocide, Darfur, the Holocaust, and the cruelties of American slavery. Often the only proof survivors and/or witnesses have are facts which can be leveraged in efforts to call for justice. We must for their sake, as much for ours, preserve history and remind others of any attempt to alter it.”
- James Ellis Coleman
James Ellis Coleman’s work takes form through a variety of practices including, photography, collage, video, and sculpture. His mixed media and time-based digital alterations (re)contextualize commercial, political, historical and personal ephemera. James Ellis Coleman has been a Mobius artist since 2010.