Atlanta-based visual artist Tokie Rome-Taylor will exhibit at Brenau’s Leo Castelli Gallery in January.
The exhibit, I wove the archives in the light of southern exposure, opens Jan. 24 and will run through mid-April. Her works explore ethnography, identity, history, and memory, featuring photography and cyanotype as a medium. Centering children as her subjects, her practice investigates familial and cultural archives of African Americans in the South through what has been shared and passed down.
“Tokie Rome-Taylor’s work takes a look at the diaspora of Black Southerners and remains relevant today,” Brenau Galleries Director Lybi Cucurullo said. “Her work embodies resiliency, especially with the use of child subjects. The children will grow up and eventually become integral parts of American and Southern culture, expanding the concept of heritage. Her botanical motifs also serve as nods to resiliency and healing, be it nourishment, medicinal or otherwise.”
An opening reception will be held at 6 p.m. on Jan. 24, and features a dance performance by Brenau’s Dance Department. Rome-Taylor will speak briefly at 6:30 p.m.
Rome-Taylor has more than 20 years experience as an educator and working artist. Her work is held in multiple private and institutional collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art – Georgia, The Fralin Museum at the University of Virginia, and the Southeastern Museum of Photography. She has an extensive national and international exhibition record including the Atlanta Contemporary, the Fralin Museum, The Southeastern Museum of Photography, The Griffin Museum of Photography, SP-Foto SP-Arte Fair in São Paulo, Brazil, and the Zuckerman Museum of Art, amongst others. Her full artist statement and CV are available here.
