Demetri Broxton, a Bay Area artist, is showcasing his solo show ‘Ancestral Echoes’ at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco. The exhibit, which runs through August 16, explores Broxton’s family history and the Second Great Migration that brought his family to the Bay Area.
Exploring Family History Through Art
Broxton’s artwork intentionally leaves out parts of his family’s story, creating a sense of mystery and intrigue. The exhibit features hand-made wall tapestries that reappropriate old family photos, with faces often covered or obscured. One piece, ‘Just Beyond the Waters,’ features a photo of Broxton’s grandfather, a U.S. Army veteran, with his face veiled in quartz.
Another piece, ‘A Family Tie Is Like a Tree; It Can Bend But It Cannot Break,’ uses beads to create a nighttime tree-covered backdrop over a photo of a family member standing beside the family car. The effect is regal, with the car resembling a pharaoh’s chariot.
Concealment and Revelation
The concealment of eyes is a common theme throughout the exhibit. In ‘He Who Holds Me to the Soil, Holds Himself as Well’ and ‘He Sits in a Universe of the Unknown,’ the male subjects’ eyes are covered with pieces of brass, surrounded by coin-shaped gold pieces. This gives off a grim tone, suggesting an impending funeral.
Boxing is also a prominent theme, with ‘Count Me Out’ featuring a pair of boxing gloves covered in cowrie shells. The gloves are locked together by a stainless steel chain, alluding to the forced migration of Africans to the New World.
The exhibit encourages visitors to write down tributes to their own ancestors and place them in a basket below an altar featuring framed photos of Broxton’s relatives.
Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.
