The Lens

Isaac Julien’s Lessons of the Hour, a key work in Revival, is a poetic meditation on Frederick Douglass’ life informed by some of the abolitionist’s most important speeches, such as “Lessons of the Hour,” “What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?,” and “Lecture on Pictures.” Douglass, the most photographed man of the 19th century, believed in the power of art and technology to shape lives and society. The still image of Douglass, his wife Anna Murray Douglass, and the noted African-American photographer J.P. Ball, Serenade, attests to the importance of the role of representation, in both politics and aesthetics, in... Continue reading Revival: Digging Into Yesterday, Planting Tomorrow

From cornrows to locs, Black hair is rooted in identity and culture. Within a specific part of history, hair could indicate a person’s tribe, social position, marital status, or occupation. Later, hairstyles told stories of bravery by creating pathways to freedom, using patterns and techniques to relay messages and routes in order to escape in the face of inconceivable duress. Through her work, artist Amber N. Ford explores the importance that hair holds culturally and personally.

This project began as a form of preservation, documenting deconstructed and revised protective hairstyles to remember what was... Continue reading Amber N. Ford: The Roads Most Traveled

Silas Long's interior ruin delves into the interplay between technology, anxiety, and modern existence that captures the feeling of navigating life in the digital age. The exhibition invites contemplation of our perception of reality amidst commercial saturation and global instability. Through digital printing techniques, Long’s flattened surfaces create a collage-like effect that muddles the image’s material presence. Their collection of digital clips and textures are indicative of a visual world that the artist explores to interpret the profound impact technology has on the emotional psyche.

Silas Long's meticulously layered compositions of flattened textures... Continue reading Silas Long: interior ruin

Student Reflections highlights artwork by current Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) students working with lens-based materials and equipment. The exhibition is a juried open call, available exclusively to AAC's current student body. Student Reflections allows the public to gain insight into the perspective of college art students in the contemporary age.

Student Reflections presents selected artwork by AAC students and welcomes guest judge Vikesh Kapoor, whose work is also featured in the Art Academy’s Pearlman Gallery show, Deeply Rooted.

Years ago, Cuban-born artist Juan-Si González traveled through Missouri and stumbled on a sign: “Burger King, Cuba, 3 Miles.” The ironic juxtaposition led him to investigate. He later found 16 small towns called Cuba in the United States, most founded around the time of the Spanish-American War. Born out of that surprising discovery, Looking for Cuba Inside is a multimedia installation that moves like a travel diary along the walls of the gallery. It is a montage of documentary images and an absurd chronicle, oscillating constantly between memory, reality, reportage, and fiction.

The... Continue reading Juan-Si González: Looking for Cuba Inside