"At a time when racism is on the rise in the United States, with the President himself posting a doctored video of the Obamas as apes and Southern states working to gerrymander Black voices out of mattering in elections, Todd Gray's exhibition at Perrotin feels particularly pressing. Timed to coincide with the opening of his commissioned installation "Octavia's Gaze" (2025) at the new David Geffen Galleries of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Portals features several multi-paneled photo assemblages that explore the evolution of Black history and identity through the juxtaposition of images related to slavery with views of European art, architecture, and formal gardens - the symbols of the excessive wealth funded by and perpetuating the labor of enslaved people."
"Gray's photo assemblages are carefully constructed from his own photos combined with those culled from other sources, such as views of the galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. This format of joining together framed photos in a single work finds a precedent in the art of John Baldessari, who was a driving force at the California Institute of the Arts when Gray earned his BFA and MFA degrees there. Yet, unlike Baldessari's rather deadpan approach, Gray goes for beauty and emotion."
"He mixes up his photos in nonlinear fashion, as well as allows some to overlap with and obscure others. In this way, he creates visual puzzles, the titular portals being entrance points for exploration. These works feel intentionally, even strategically, sumptuous, as they entice viewers to keep looking, find connections, and ask questions."
The exhibition presents multi-paneled photo assemblages that trace the evolution of Black history and identity by placing images tied to slavery beside European art, architecture, and formal gardens. These European symbols represent wealth funded by and sustaining the labor of enslaved people. The works combine the artist’s own photographs with images drawn from other sources, including views of galaxies from the Hubble Space Telescope. Photos are arranged in nonlinear ways, with overlaps that obscure parts of earlier images. The resulting portals function as entry points for sustained looking, encouraging viewers to find connections and ask questions.
#black-history #photo-assemblage #racism-and-politics #european-art-and-architecture #visual-symbolism
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