Blue Sky Gallery

On View: June 06, 2024 - June 29, 2024

Imagine Fresh Darkness marks the Pacific Northwest debut solo show of multidisciplinary artist Mikael Owunna. This exhibition delves into a rich tapestry of diasporic African myths, including those from Dogon, Igbo, and African-American traditions, and features nineteen images from Owunna’s photographic series Infinite Essence.

The title Imagine Fresh Darkness challenges the viewer to reconceive darkness not as the absence of light but as a profound presence, teeming with unseen energies and narratives. In Owunna’s work, darkness becomes a canvas revealing the luminous and transcendent potential of the Black body, portrayed through a process that draws from the very essence of invisibility and blackness.

The exhibition also includes the film Obi Mbu (The Primordial House), co-directed by Owunna and Marques Redd.

Imagine Fresh Darkness not only showcases Owunna’s innovative visual techniques but also offers commentary on the revival of traditional African knowledge systems and reimagines Black spiritual and artistic expression for the 21st century.

Click here to view Owunna’s full artist talk.