Opening Reception: As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic
A program of:
As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
6pm–8pm
University of Toronto Art Centre
Celebrate the opening of the exhibition with acclaimed vinyl DJ Andy Williams of the Montreal duo Jazz Amnesty Sound System with Sweet Daddy Luv. All are welcome!
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About the Exhibition
The ethos of community is at the heart of the collection from which this exhibition is drawn. Established by Dr. Kenneth Montague, the Wedge Collection is Canada’s largest privately owned collection committed to championing Black artists. The title As We Rise is borrowed from a phrase that Dr. Montague’s father would often invoke: “Lifting as we rise.” By this, he emphasized the importance of parlaying one’s personal success into communal good. He believed in investing back in the Black community to which he and his family belonged. As an ethic, “lifting as we rise” suggests an expanded sense of family, one that reaches beyond close relatives. As an exhibition, As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic embraces this expansive sensibility, centering the familial alongside the familiar.
The ethos of community is at the heart of the collection from which this exhibition is drawn. Established by Dr. Kenneth Montague, the Wedge Collection is Canada’s largest privately owned collection committed to championing Black artists. The title As We Rise is borrowed from a phrase that Dr. Montague’s father would often invoke: “Lifting as we rise.” By this, he emphasized the importance of parlaying one’s personal success into communal good. He believed in investing back in the Black community to which he and his family belonged. As an ethic, “lifting as we rise” suggests an expanded sense of family, one that reaches beyond close relatives. As an exhibition, As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic embraces this expansive sensibility, centering the familial alongside the familiar.
Exhibition organized by Aperture, New York. Curated by Elliott Ramsey, The Polygon Gallery, North Vancouver.
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Title and Page Image: Dawit L. Petros, Hadenbes, 2005, chromogenic print. From As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic (Aperture, 2021). Courtesy of the artist/Bradley Ertaskiran.
