​Fridman Gallery presents Fabula Rasa, a group exhibition of nine artists from across generations and around the world who create new myths by taking traditional fables as points of departure. The exhibition is a collection of stories, a platform for experiencing the rituals depicted by the artists, an opportunity for the gallery space itself to become ceremonial grounds. Artists: Ghalia Benali, Hana Yilma Godine, Dindga McCannon, Ambrose Rhapsody Murray, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Anastasiia Podervianska, Sahana Ramakrishnan, Alisa Sikelianos-Carter, Nafis M. White

Ghalia Benali’s mixed-media drawings and genre-defying songs take inspiration from mystical Sufi poetry. Hana Yilma Godine’s paintings on floral chiffon fabrics feature divine female characters from ancient Abyssinian mythology. Dindga McCannon’s quilted sculpture bedazzles a classical bust with shimmering sequins.

Ambrose Rhapsody Murray’s photo-prints on organza scrims framed with hand-carved wood are devotional altars to the artist’s matrilineal ancestors. Wura-Natasha Ogunji’s ink-and-thread drawings on tracing paper depict Yoruba deities – Ochun, associated with beauty, love, sensuality, pleasure, and Yemaya, the god of origins, motherhood, the ocean.

Anastasiia Podervianska‘s quilt retells a Ukrainian folk tale of a serpent attacking a woman and her cow for their milk. Sahana Ramakrishnan‘s paintings reverse the hierarchies often found in traditional Indian miniatures – hunter turns prey, male serves female.

Alisa Sikelianos-Carter‘s celestial silk tapestry of gouache, mica, and obsidian stone embeds within it the diversity of the color black and of the Black experience. Nafis M. White’s large-than-life Oculus combines Black hair, beauty products, and hairstyling techniques with the intricate customs of Victorian Hair Weaving and mourning traditions.

Performance Program:

Wednesday, November 9, 7pm: Tilt
Kalia Vandever (trombone), Isabel Crespo Pardo (vocals), and Carmen Rothwell (standup bass)
​Thursday, November 17, 7pm:
Victoria Keddie record release + performance
​Saturday, December 17, 7pm:
Ghalia Benali (vocals + electronics) and Alex Waterman (cello)

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