Multimedia
Public Programming InSite: Art + Commemoration
The Cause Collective: The Truth Is I Am You
A project by The Cause Collective, with work by Ryan Alexiev, Jim Ricks, and Hank Willis Thomas.
Co-presentation with Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA).
The exhibit was on view August 26-September 25, with the closing reception on Saturday, September 24.
The Truth Is I Am You is a floating poem highlighting the practices of coexistence that exemplify culturally diverse communities like New York City. Lining the walls of the 2,000 square foot exhibition space, the poem starts with "The truth is I am you" and ends with "The truth is I love you" translated into the 24 most spoken languages in New York City. The poetry on the walls is installed along with silver helium inflated balloons floating in the gallery space. The audience is invited to contribute to the poem by writing their own truths on the surface of the balloons.
Referencing Andy Warhol's “Silver Clouds”, which originally debuted in 1966, the piece attempts to use the exhibition space as a point of entry into other systems of considering who we are, what we value, where we come from, and where we are going.
This program is part of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's InSite: Art + Commemoration, a series created around the tenth anniversary of 9/11 that invites artistic response to a decade of recovery and change in Lower Manhattan and beyond through exhibitions, performances, poetry, and ideas.
The Cause Collective is a team of artists, designers and ethnographers creating innovative art in the public realm. Their projects explore and enliven public spaces by creating a dynamic conversation between issues, sites and the public audience.
MoCADA is committed to fostering a greater awareness and appreciation of the arts and cultures of the African Diaspora as it relates to contemporary urban issues. The experiences and cultural contributions of people of African descent have been marginalized throughout history and MoCADA’s mission is to undertake the responsibility of rewriting that history in order to give a more accurate portrayal of the contributions of people of African descent to the artistic and global landscape.
