“Imagine Otherwise expresses the boundlessness and fierceness of Black imagination and love despite ongoing antiBlack violence as it thinks with Christina Sharpe’s groundbreaking book In the Wake: On Blackness and Being.”
by Ashley Sowers
This Saturday I had the pleasure of visiting moCa Cleveland in order to check out the Imagine Otherwise installation “still waters run deep/fall in your ways” by Shikeith, a Philly-born artist and sculptor. Organized by La Tanya S. Autry, Imagine Otherwise is an exhibition that runs with free admission at multiple Cleveland area locations through June 6th. The installation also features the work of artists, Imani Dennison, Antwoine Washington, and Amber N. Ford, at Thirdspace Action Lab in Glenville and the Museum of Creative Human Art (MOCHA) in Lakewood and moCa in University Circle.
Photos from Amber N Ford’s Imagine Otherwise exhibit at Third Space Action Lab
I chose to attend Shikeith’s installation for a few reasons, first moCa is closest to my Cleveland Heights apartment and more importantly, I wanted to experience art that would take me outside of my own experience of Blackness.
I typically gravitate toward women-centered pieces but I wanted to do something different this time. In “still waters run deep/fall in your ways,” Shikeith explores Black queerhood as a sacred space.
“Shikeith maps Black men’s negotiations of intimacy and routes toward freedom beyond architectural and societal constraints “
Introduced by Jaylen Strong’s poem, “Memory’s Blood,” the “still waters run deep” exhibit immediately grabbed my attention. I did not know what to expect beyond the white wall donned with words that I did not fully understand (the poem, while beautiful, still goes above my head a little), but I know I felt instantly relaxed.
Poetry (or narrative) played in the background over the sound of calming ocean waves. It took me a minute to realize that the first part of the exhibit represented a ship surrounded by water. In fact, my friend actually had to point this out to me. I was entranced by the 10 to 12-year-old boy dancing unabashedly on the middle of the ship sail. It was beautiful to see him just be. I couldn’t help but think of the hashtag #BlackBoyJoy in the moment. It was so simple, but it made me smile. Reflecting now, I worry that society may taint this boy’s confidence and sense of self.
This was a two-part installation; however, the first part had the biggest impact on me personally. Overall, I am glad I stepped outside of my box and experienced this exhibit—I would definitely recommend it!
On a side note, I felt very safe in moCa in terms of social distancing. We were funneled into the Museum, screened for any COVID symptoms, and asked to verbally agree to their code of conduct. It was a simple process, but it did put me at ease.