Brad Temkin, Walking Aqueduct – Mojave, CA from the series Aqueduct, 2021–, 2021; archival inkjet print on paper mounted to aluminum, 48 x 40 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.
Adrian L. Burrell, Modernity Blues, Loreauville, LA from the series Sugarcane and Lighting, 2012-, 2022; archival inkjet print, approx. 36 x 42 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.
Joe Harjo, People Acknowledgment, 2024; mural-size inkjet print, approximately 108 x 65 inches; Courtesy of the artist.
Ana Teresa Fernández, still image from Borrando la Frontera, 2011; single-channel video, duration 3:31; Courtesy of the artist.
Binh Danh, Chinese house servant from the series All I asking for is my body, 2024; daguerreotype on silver platter, 11 7/8 inches (radius); Courtesy of the artist.
Siu Wai Hang, 12-06-2019 Harcourt Road from the series Clean Hong Kong Action, 2019, 2019; archival inkjet print on paper with punched holes, 38 1/2 x 57 1/2 inches; Courtesy of the artist.
Sao Sreymao, PP2 from the series Shaking Land and Water, 2022, 2022; archival inkjet print on paper mounted to aluminum, 16 1/4 x 24 1/4 inches; Courtesy of the artist.
Brad Temkin, Walking Aqueduct – Mojave, CA from the series Aqueduct, 2021–, 2021; archival inkjet print on paper mounted to aluminum, 48 x 40 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.
Critical Geography
Critical Geography reexamines dominant historical narratives that have shaped our traditional understanding of geography, provoking conversations around social justice, environmental sustainability, and transformative change.
NEW!
Critical Geography reexamines historical narratives that have shaped our traditional understanding of geography, provoking conversations around social justice, environmental sustainability, and transformative change.
The lens-based works in this exhibition shed light on systemic oppression, violence, urgent environmental concerns, and inequality in colonial and post-colonial contexts. Critical Geography highlights a range of unorthodox strategies employed to construct new narratives around place and community while imagining alternative organizations of social space. These photographers, image makers, and storytellers explore how space, place, and communities are influenced by social, economic, ecological, and political forces.
Existing and newly commissioned works from national and international artists “allow viewers to engage in important dialogues around the social dimensions of space and our shared planet,” says Steven Evans, executive director of FotoFest and curator of the exhibition.
In Talking Back to Power, Memphis-born C. Rose Smith’s series of self-portraits feature the artist posing defiantly on the sites of southern American plantations turned into tourist attractions. California-based artist Stephanie Syjuco repurposes old, staged pictures of “natives” in an artificial Filipino village that was fabricated for the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. Like Syjuco, several exhibition participants manipulate existing material to address the historical erasure of the disenfranchised peoples depicted therein, including artist Siu Wai Hang. By physically altering his own photographs taken during anti-extradition protests in Hong Kong, he protects the identity of the protestors and establishes the importance of photography as a witness to historical events.
Other artists and collectives featured in the exhibition include: Mónica Alcázar-Duarte, Syahrul Anuar, Adrian L. Burrell, Cho Hyun-taek, Binh Danh, Colby Deal, Ana Teresa Fernández, Caleb Fung, Joe Harjo, Shona Illingworth, Libuše Jarcovjáková, Ethel Lilienfeld, Mark Menjívar, Zarina Muhammad, Ou Zhihang, Shilo Group, Sao Sreymao, Brad Temkin, and Rafael Vilela.
ABOUT FOTOFEST:
FotoFest is dedicated to advancing photography and visual culture through the presentation of exhibitions, public programs, and publications. The examination of social, cultural, and political histories and contemporary life through the lens of photography and related media is central to FotoFest’s mission.
Exhibition Details
79 works; approx. 8 AV works on 7 monitors, 3 mural-sized prints, 4 daguerreotypes on silver platters, 2 dye sublimation prints on polyester, 52 inkjet prints on dibond, 9 prints on paper
- Press Kit
- Registrar’s Packet
- Programming Guide
- Gallery Guide
- Text Panels
- Narrative Labels
- Full Insurance
- Installation Instructions
- Custom-Designed and Built Crates
Steven Evans, Executive Director of FotoFest
Exhibits USA
Tour Schedule
Critical Geography is touring January 2029 through January 2034. The dates below reflect seven-week exhibition periods. Dates are subject to change; please contact MoreArt@maaa.org or (816) 800-0925 for current availability.
Supporting Assets
Factsheet
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