Through Oct 13
MoMA
British artist Ufuoma Essi explores the complexity of historical memory and Black lived experiences through evocative Super 8mm films. Born and based in southeast London, Essi challenges dominant archival narratives that often marginalize Black histories by integrating personal memory, found footage, and inspirations from Black feminist theory and performance. Her work expands the traditional concept of archives, revealing how history lives within the body and collective experience.
This exhibition features two compelling recent works. Half Memory (2024) is influenced by Toni Morrison’s concept of “rememory,” examining how suppressed memories unexpectedly resurface, shaping individual and communal identities across generations and geographies. In Bodies In Dissent (2021), Essi documents the enduring imprint of performance, weaving together archival footage of dancer Loretta Abbott with the powerful jazz concert sounds of Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln. The film meditates on how performance serves as a vessel carrying histories through time and the Atlantic, embodying resistance and resilience.
Essi’s intimate and poetic films invite audiences to reconsider how histories are preserved and transmitted, emphasizing the body’s role as a site of remembrance and dissent.
