SKIN + MASKS: Decolonizing Our Art Beyond the Politics of Visibility

This expansive publication celebrates the third edition of SKIN + MASKS, co-curated by Kavi Gupta Gallery Director Chanelle Lacy and rapper, activist, and philanthropist Vic Mensa. The exhibition is presented by Kavi Gupta in collaboration with EXPO Chicago, the international exposition of contemporary and modern art, and The Magnificent Mile® Association.

A comprehensive exhibition catalogue, the publication features installation images, programming highlights, and artworks from the first through third editions of SKIN + MASKS, with a new introduction by curator Chanelle Lacy.

SKIN + MASKS takes its title from the work of Antilles-born author Frantz Fanon (b. 1925 — d. 1961), whose seminal text Black Skin, White Masks examined how barriers of race impede our ability to experience humanity. The exhibition’s first two iterations fostered dynamic conversations about what it means for visual art to incite cultural evolutions “beyond the politics of visibility.” This third iteration further examines that theme, looking deeper into Fanon’s statement that, “Before it can adopt a positive voice, freedom requires an effort at disalienation.”

The curators bring together artists working with ideas related to magical realism, esotericism, and metaphysics, spotlighting works that address connections between myths, memories, mysticism, materials, and methods. The exhibition offers further insights into how perspectives on visibility and belonging develop over time within a single community.

SKIN + MASKS III is made possible through the collaboration of EXPO Chicago and The Magnificent Mile® Association with Kavi Gupta. Special thanks for the sponsorship of the City of Chicago and the American Rescue Plan.

Texts by Chanelle Lacy and Phillip Barcio.

For more information, visit kavigupta.com.

Published by Kavi Gupta in collaboration with EXPO Chicago and The Magnificent Mile® Association, 2023, hardcover, 142 pages, 11 x 8.5 inches.