NXTHVN - Exhibition - "NOT FOR SALE" On View Now thru May 14, 2023

NOT FOR SALE – Exhibition at NXTHVN

Gallery Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 2 – 6 pm (closed Monday & Tuesday)

Location: 169 Henry St, New Haven, CT 06511

Free and open to the public

A tribute to Black and Brown communities, Not for Sale, explores the relationship between culture, consumerism, and community and how these connections inform which objects and materials we collectively hold as valuable.

Focusing on establishments in low-income communities such as the corner deli, beauty supply store, local jail, church, and liquor store, Not For Sale highlights what is exchanged, bought, and consumed in these local spaces. Located in Dixwell, a historically African American neighborhood in New Haven, the exhibition references essential areas of commerce and communal gathering found in communities across the United States. Containing materials such as du-rags, bamboo earrings, and food products commonly consumed, each artwork reappropriates items found in Black and Brown culture, uniquely nodding to these communities’ resilience, grit, and resourcefulness.

Despite the circumstances and everyday realities created by systemic racism, mass incarceration, food insecurity, and the overall inequities due to the lasting socio-political-economic effects of colonialism, the works powerfully compels viewers to acknowledge and respect cultures that are regularly sought after in Western society. Utilizing their personal and diasporic narratives, the artists are creating multilayered works of art that engage consumption, respectability, and the commodification of Black and Brown culture.

Through familiar street and domestic objects, sounds, and images; we celebrate the shared realities and the high cultural-value found in Black and Brown communities, while stating that our inherent ways of being, our energy, and our culture are Not For Sale.

Free admission. No ticket required. Masks are not required but are encouraged.