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Both personal and universal, Harris' oeuvre weaves together legacies of family dynamics, queer histories and Afro-cosmopolitanismGathering photographs, assemblages, video installations and archival selections from his celebrated and lesser-known series,
Our first and last love charts new connections across the artistic practice of New York-based artist Lyle Ashton Harris (born 1965). Informed by an adolescence that unfolded in New York City and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as well as several years spent living in Ghana, Harris explores the complexities of African and African American collective identity while forging his own personal narrative as a Black queer man.
This book and its accompanying solo survey exhibition chronicles Harris' approach to representation and self-portraiture while tracing recurrent themes and formal techniques in his work over the last 35 years. Central to this curated selection is Harris' most recent series titled
Shadow Works, mixed-media assemblages of photographic prints embedded in Ghanaian printed textiles with cowrie shells, pottery, handwritten notes, clippings of the artist's dreadlocks and other personal ephemera. In both the exhibition and its catalog, these works serve as thematic anchors underscoring Harris' layered approach to his ongoing creative explorations.
Summary
Both personal and universal, Harris’ multimedia works weave together legacies of family dynamics, racial discrimination and queer histories
Gathering photographs and installations from both his celebrated and lesser-known series, Our First and Last Love charts new connections across the artistic practice of New York–based artist Lyle Ashton Harris (born 1965). Inspired by his adolescence divided between New York City and Dar es Salaam, Harris explores the complexities of African and African American collective identity while forging his own personal narrative as a queer Black man. The retrospective exhibition chronicles Harris’ approach to representation and self-portraiture while tracing central themes and formal techniques in his work over the last 35 years. Central to this collection are Harris’ most recently completed pieces. Titled Shadow Works, these multimedia assemblages set photographic prints amid Ghanaian funerary textiles, shells, pottery and locks of the artist’s hair. In the exhibition and the corresponding catalog, the pieces function as starting points for thematic groups of Harris’ other works. Juxtaposed with handwritten notes and family photographs, these arrangements underscore Harris’ layered approach to his practice.
