The Saatchi Gallery is set to present an enthralling exhibition titled “As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic,” featuring an impressive array of photographs that encapsulate African Diasporic culture. Curated by Elliott Ramsey and organized by Aperture, this winter exhibition draws from the Wedge Collection, Canada’s most extensive privately-owned collection dedicated to promoting Black artists. Founded by Dr. Kenneth Montague in 1997, the Wedge Collection is committed to highlighting the multifaceted nature of Black life through the themes of community, identity, and power. This exhibit offers a profound exploration of the complexity, strength, beauty, vulnerability, and diversity inherent in Black existence.
The exhibition will present works by renowned artists such as Horace Ové, James Barnor, and Carrie Mae Weems, alongside pieces by emerging talents like Texas Isaiah and Arielle Bobb-Willis. These visual narratives invite viewers to appreciate the layered dimensions of Black life, where the familial and familiar intertwine in a mutual, consensual gaze captured by Black photographers. The title, “As We Rise,” draws inspiration from an adage frequently quoted by Dr. Montague’s father: “Lifting as we rise,” emphasizing the significance of both individual and communal empowerment. This philosophy is integral to the exhibition’s organization, with works divided into thematic sections of Community, Identity, and Power.
The exhibition’s highlights include:
- Sunday Morning, Detroit, Michigan (1950) by Gordon Parks, an iconic figure in civil rights-era photography.
- Nuit de Noël (1963) by Malick Sidibé, a seminal photographer of post-colonial Africa, honored with the Hasselblad Award and the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement.
- First Self-Portrait (1975) by Carrie Mae Weems, a pivotal contemporary photographer celebrated for her self-portraiture.
- After Sir Joshua Reynolds’ “Portrait of Doctor Samuel Johnson” (2009) by Kehinde Wiley, a Nigerian American artist famed for painting Barack Obama’s official portrait for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
- My Name Is My Name I (2016) by Texas Isaiah, a trailblazing contemporary photographer and the first trans photographer to shoot a cover for Vogue Magazine in 2020.
“As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic” is currently touring internationally, making its UK debut at the Saatchi Gallery. Exhibition curator Elliott Ramsey remarks, “From the 1930s’ Harlem Renaissance, through post-colonial Bamako, to contemporary Toronto, ‘As We Rise’ celebrates the polyphony of Black life — and the nuanced approaches of Black photographers in representing these scenes of love, leisure, and resistance.”
Dr. Kenneth Montague of the Wedge Collection expresses his enthusiasm: “I’m honored to share the photographic works from my collection with a UK audience. ‘As We Rise’ at the Saatchi Gallery will be a celebration of global Black culture through time, featuring images that reflect legacies of community, identity, and power.”
The artists showcased in the exhibition include a distinguished and diverse roster: Raphael Albert, Henry Clay Anderson, Tayo Yannick Anton, Liz Johnson Artur, James Barnor, Dawoud Bey, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Deanna Bowen, Jody Brand, Kwame Brathwaite, Sandra Brewster, Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Vanley Burke, Mohamed Camara, Kennedi Carter, Jorian Charlton, June Clark, Renee Cox, Erika DeFreitas, Jabulani Dhlamini, Stan Douglas, Louis Draper, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Samuel Fosso, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Courtney D. Garvin, Jérôme Havre, Barkley L. Hendricks, Leslie Hewitt, Texas Isaiah, Ayana V. Jackson, Rashid Johnson, Aaron Jones, Anique Jordan, Seydou Keïta, Lebohang Kganye, Luther Konadu, Deana Lawson, Zun Lee, Oumar Ly, João Mendes, Jalani Morgan, Dennis Morris, Aïda Muluneh, Eustáquio Neves, Jamal Nxedlana, Lakin Ogunbanwo, J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere, Bidemi Oloyede, Horace Ové, Gordon Parks, Michèle Pearson Clarke, Dawit L. Petros, Charlie Phillips, Afonso Pimenta, Ruddy Roye, Athi-Patra Ruga, Abdourahmane Sakaly, Jamel Shabazz, Abdo Shanan, Malick Sidibé, Xaviera Simmons, Ming Smith, Paul Anthony Smith, Sanlé Sory, Eve Tagny, Hank Willis Thomas, Mickalene Thomas, James Van Der Zee, Nontsikelelo Veleko, Ruby Washington, Ricky Weaver, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley.
“As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic – Selections from the Wedge Collection,” is organized by Aperture and curated by Elliott Ramsey.
Accompanying the exhibition is a 184-page catalogue, “As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic” (Aperture, 2021), and “As We Rise: Sounds from the Black Atlantic” (Aperture, 2023), a limited-edition vinyl record. Both publications are available for purchase at the Gallery Shop and online through the Saatchi Store Online.