See(d) the Future is a two-month art exhibit hosted in VAE’s main gallery space at 309 West Martin Street, Raleigh NC. The project’s focal point is an exhibition of work by artists with a personal connection to Afrofuturism and the African diaspora, selected by guest curators Jade Brieanne and Monèt Marshall.

ACCESSIBILITY

VAE works to make all of our exhibitions, programs, and facilities accessible to all people who appreciate creativity! VAE is a single story facility and all galleries, offices, and facilities are physically accessible. VAE is happy to provide audio description tours, ASL interpretation for our exhibition and/or special events, and/or make documents available Braille or large print. A two-week advance request for these accommodations is appreciated! Please email Kyle to let us know how we can make your visit happen!

Traka Lopez
Baltimore, Maryland

How does your work relate to Afrofuturism?

Afrofuturism is really in the "now", we living in the future, but still holding on to traditions. That is the beauty of being connected to ancestors from a higher power.

Artist Bio

My work encompasses the social, political, and cultural experiences of blacks and depicts black diversity and femininity while weaving  Afrofuturism and the souls of our ancestor to the audience.

____________________________________________________

Nadjib Adebola Assani
Durham, North Carolina

How does this piece relate to Afrofuturism?

This a fantasy/sci-fi world loosely influenced by Yoruba culture. The all African cast of characters are depicted as powerful,noble, unique, flawed, and most importantly human. The lead protagonists go through their journey, learn from their experiences and become Legends of Onile by turning negatives into positives to lead their people to greater heights.

Artist Bio

Concept artist and art director originally from Cotonou Benin, mostly grew up in NC and loves art. He aims to tell positive and inspirational stories through his creations.

____________________________________________________

Charlie Michelle
Raleigh, North Carolina

How does this piece relate to Afrofuturism?

Informed by Black feminism, queer theory of color, queer craft theory, hoodoo/conjure, and Afrofuturist theory, they conjure a new reality in which the Black queer body, which has been marked as deviant and rendered invisible, becomes central to liberation and the imagination. They create fantastical environments with ritual objects, such as railroad spikes, candles, and cowries shells, and invite viewers to imagine a future in which Blackness can be actualized in its multidimensionality.

Artist Bio

Charlie Michelle is interested in artmaking practices across the African Diaspora and reclaiming African/African Diaspora Traditional Religions (ATR) for healing and liberation. Born and raised in the Southern United States, they are deeply connected to their southern identity and use these experiences in their artwork. Informed by Black feminism, queer theory of color, queer craft theory, hoodoo/conjure, and Afrofuturist theory, they use fabric and found objects to create installation work.

____________________________________________________

M. Asli Dukan
New York, New York

How does your work relate to Afrofuturism?

Memories from the Future examines A Place to Live (1941), the Philadelphia Housing Authority funded and Academy Award nominated film, via a futuristic traveler searching for artifacts of its urban housing and development policy promise and by interweaving the narratives of both future-themed films.

Artist Bio

M. Asli Dukan is an award-winning filmmaker and visual artist who works primarily in the genres of speculative fiction as a subversive artistic and liberatory practice. She is currently in production on Invisible Universe, a documentary about Black creators in speculative fiction and in development on the anthology horror film based on the book, Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson.

____________________________________________________

Lyric Lee
Greenville, North Carolina

How does this piece relate to Afrofuturism?

Zombies is based on the people of the African diaspora. The future of fallen stars and culture celebrations. The unit is based on breaking away from the zombie mentality(a dead mind) to one’s culture. It's about the "stolen" children of Africa grasping the rituals of their ancestors.

Zombies feature words from Minister Farrakhan and quotes from  Ta-Nehisi Cates work, "Between The World And Me." It was inspired by my work, "Decadents of the Evil Eye."  One of the characters is a homosexual woman being one with herself and her culture. She is not being pulled or killed for her sexuality like some people are today in society. A male character is displaying past ridicule for his skin, size, and masculinity. While words are displayed to explore the mind of the past America they once revolved from.

How does Decadent to the Evil Eye relate to Afrofuturism?

This portrait depicts a young African American woman masked in the future. She is no longer discovering oneself, but deleting the evils of the past. The trouble(s) of being a woman of color, homosexual, and the continuous veil of culture misfortunes are well and alive; however, she is no longer depleted by the evil of those eyes.

Decadent is stated as reflection of moral or cultural decline. The culture of hate that was given to her ancestors past will not be represented in her future. Her Afrofuturism is glowing with the decay from the stars and fallen sky. Noted as one of God's first people, she carries the marks on her body as a survivor.

Artist Bio

Lyric Lee was born April 9th, 1991, in Brooklyn, NYC. She found her love for art through different black American films and artists, such as Spike Lee and Jean-Bisquiat. Raised in North Carolina, she has accomplished a degree in Fine Arts, and now is a Professional Photographer and visual artist in Greenville, NC.

____________________________________________________

Derrick Beasley
Durham, North Carolina

How does your work relate to Afrofuturism?

Trauma, even when addressed can have a tight grip on our past, present and future. It has the power to transport us back to a moment, trap us in place and shape our perception of what’s possible.

Jameela recounts the resonance of a lover who is now passed away. How his presence transformed her vision of love and loving herself...how he currently haunts her and how she welcomes it.

Artist Bio

Derrick Beasley is a visual artist, public servant and nonprofit professional. He uses portraiture, public/cultural space making, relief wood carving and installation design to reshape narratives around cultural iconography and imagine a world that recognizes all people’s humanity.

____________________________________________________

Mustafah Greene
Charlotte, North Carolina

Artist Bio

Mustafah Greene is a BLACK artist. Using art as a medium to explore the depth of a word ascribed to them before they even knew what it meant. With BLACK as a recurring theme. they wish to deepen the understanding and relationship to the forces that give life to the color, word, and identity of BLACKness.

____________________________________________________

Sasha Banks
Fort Worth, Texas

Artist Bio

Sasha Banks is a Pushcart nominated-poet whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in APOGEE, RHINO, Kinfolks Quarterly, Alight, Poor Claudia, Zocalo Public Square, B O D Y Literature, The Collagist, OBSIDIAN and has been performed in Tulane University’s Vagina Monologues. Sasha is the creator of Poets for Ferguson. She received her MFA at Pratt Institute. She is the author of the forthcoming collection, america, MINE (COIMPRESS 2020).

____________________________________________________

Calvin Brett
Durham, North Carolina

How does your work relate to Afrofuturism?

Seashells and mirrors are used to articulate the superficial nature of identity. These two pieces exist within a larger collection of work exploring loss of innocence using a traditional tribal form as a cultural contemporary expression in response to one African American male experience. The work relates to Afrofuturism through existing within a larger context of spiritual expressions driving Afro culture and art. Though continent, place, technology and people may change, spiritual practice as a force inspiring process and creativity stays the same.

Artist Bio

Calvin Brett’s work is in the permanent collection of North Carolina Central University's Art Museum. He has completed an installation at Elsewhere Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina and has been a resident at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. While studying at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Tufts, his work appeared in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. His first Solo exhibition was at Lump Gallery in Raleigh, NC. It's also been displayed at the Heath Gallery in Harlem, New York; Warehouse 21 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and in various other parts of North Carolina. Brett's work has been mentioned on Art F City, Indy Week, Mechanical Dummy, and he was interviewed about the assemblage process on KGZR 98.9 Santa Fe.

____________________________________________________

Lakeshia T. Reid
Raleigh, North Carolina

IV Sister of Fate
oil on canvas

How does your work relate to Afrofuturism?

Greek Mythology holds that there are 3 sisters of fate. They are often depicted as weavers of a tapestry that dictates the the destinies of men. I'm imagining a fourth sister. A warrior, a goddess, who understands the fluidity of time; the past, present and future. Who knows both where she's been and where she's headed.

____________________________________________________

Jermaine Powell
Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina

Time vs. Money
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Collage, American Currency

How does your work relate to Afrofuturism?
Life Is Short. Own The Greatest. I Am Art History In The Making.

____________________________________________________

Spirit McIntyre
New Orleans, Louisiana

Think of Me & Remember Me
Cello compositions, vocal arrangement, words, performance and video direction by Spirit McIntyre

How does your work relate to Afrofuturism?

When I think of Afrofuturism I think of how it’s really bringing the past present, examining it, learning from it, remembering it, honoring it, bringing it forward, and reasserting it. The existence of the African Diaspora is the future ever vibrant, thriving because of/in spite of, with/without the full knowledge of ALL things. We create because we must and we do.

My work allows me to channel the Egun (the Ancestors), to be an Egun magnet. I voice their sounds because I am theirs and they allow me to. This piece “Think Of Me” could be part of a live healing ritual dedicated to our ever present Afrofuturist Ancestors, it could help facilitate a living altar and more...it’s so versatile and loves to collaborate.