Black Women’s Lives Matter

Artist(s)

Gloria Swain

Date

August 2018 – September 2018

We are honored to be featuring Gloria Swain’s exhibit, Black Women’s Lives Matter which connects past traumas of slavery to ongoing colonial violence against Black women. Gloria Swain is a Black feminist multidisciplinary artist and social justice activist working out of Toronto. Her work is informed by and emerges from places where the social, cultural, political and lived experience intersect. While the deaths of Black men seem to outrage people on social media platforms and in the streets, that amount of attention has not been given to the deaths of Black women. Black Women’s Lives Matter draws attention to the #SayHerName movement and addresses the overall ignored victimization of Black women and trans folks with police brutality.

A storefront display features a white wall with the text "Black Women's Lives Matter" by Gloria Swain. Photos and artwork are pinned to strings across the window. The exterior shows an aged, red brick building and part of a sidewalk.
A collection of black and white sketches of faces placed on a white surface. Some sketches are on transparent sheets, and one sketch on a white cloth is being revealed. Wooden clothespins are scattered throughout the scene.
A woman wearing a headscarf and white clothes stands on a worn-out wooden porch looking to her right. Behind her, white laundry hangs on a clothesline. The image is in black and white, emphasizing the contrast between her attire and the darker background.
A close-up photo of a white paper dress with numerous handwritten names in black ink. The names are written in a random arrangement, creating a pattern across the surface of the dress. The names are written in various sizes and styles of handwriting.
A piece of white fabric featuring a black ink drawn portrait of a woman wearing a headscarf and large hoop earrings. The fabric is pinned by wooden clothespins. Below the portrait are the handwritten words: "HER story UNTOLD...

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