Curated by Imani Harmon and inspired by Black Rage, an interdisciplinary course housed across the Visual and Critical Studies and Art Therapy departments at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, this exhibition explores past, present and possibility in Black contemporary art’s reflections of Black political consciousness and subjectivity. Composed of artists from across the African diaspora and geographical locations within US; this show is concerned with conceptions of Blackness shaped by American national memory and how temporal concerns of political upheaval raise questions of how Blackness is to be narrativized and galvanized. The art objects are a visual and thematic fulcrum that explore the contradictions, ruptures and impasses of Blackness; alongside desires to demystify, place-make, and reclaim through counternarratives of popular intra- and inter-communal conceptions of Blackness.  

The Permanent Rebellion features a number of mediums including printmaking, fiber, painting, sculpture, photography and performance art. The artists are Black graduating seniors and graduate students from SAIC