For Anani Blakey, photography is a passion intertwined with many elements in her life. Activism has been a huge one.
Blakey, 23, is a student at the University of Florida, a photographer and the curator of ‘Veiled, Hooded, and Hidden,” an exhibition displayed at the Gainesville Fine Arts Association for a four-day showing ending on Saturday.
“I wanted to do something that uplifted the Black community,” Blakey said.
“There are a lot of variables that divide us internally and externally,” Blakey said. “I wanted to provide a space that unpacks that and the stories and narratives that we’ve never even heard of.”
Funded by the UF Bob Graham Center for Public Service, ‘Veiled, Hooded and Hidden was showcased Wednersday through Saturday, at the arts organization. Its works focused on different elements within education, culture, health, social class, environment and their significance in Black culture.
Blakey’s photographs showed alongside several Black photographers and painters. One of her photographs ‘Eclipse’ uses metaphorical tactics to depict the Black narrative.
Blakey said she was especially adamant about including imagery like black-and-white patterns and shadows in her work to convey the message of underrepresentation within the Black diaspora.
The exhibition held a reception Saturday to honor the work. Besides the art exhibit, singers, dancers and poets were a part of the reception’s art performances.
Blakey’s choice for the exhibition’s name came from the movement against police brutality, highlighting Trayvon Martin and more victims who lost their lives to police violence, she said.
Besides advocating for Black representation, Blakey said she wants audiences to understand Black creators can also exist without identifying with struggle.
“We have this position where we create work based on our history because no one else is talking about it,” she said. “But also, the idea that we don't have to always create work based on that.”
Kaleb Hargrove, a UF student and photographer, had his piece ‘Proactive Amnesia’ displayed at the exhibit.
Hargrove, 20, said he wanted to create a work depicting the overlap of Black erasure in American history and struggles within higher education.
Hargove’s piece is set in a classroom and pictures a professor erasing the words “American history” from a whiteboard. Black students are pictured amongst the classrooms appearing confused and out of focus; only one student looks directly into the camera.
“I wanted that to symbolize quite literally the erasure of African American history in higher education,” Hargove said.
“A lot of people aren't focused on what's happening in the background, and I did that to also juxtapose with an individual staring directly into the camera,” he said. “I wanted that individual there specifically to be able to show their awareness of what's happening.”
Hargove said he identifies with the photograph after the sacrifices he went through to achieve higher education like being part of the minority. He said he believes distraction from issues of ran happen easily and it's important to keep discussing these issues regardless of the art form.
“[Distraction] happens quite frequently in our community, and I wanted to have a piece that spoke directly about that,” he said.
Attendees of the exhibition like Gainesville resident and UF student Lucca Carlson, 21, were amazed with the level of artistry found locally.
“I think having this heavenly space [art exhibit] is powerful,” he said.
Carlson said he believes Gainesville is a community with apparent unequal distribution of wealth and representation.
Another artist student from the University of South Florida, Catherine Esprit, enjoys painting in her spare time and had her painting displayed in the exhibition.
Esprit, 23, lives in Florida but is from Cuba and the island of Dominica; she hoped to create works resonating with her Cuban and Dominican heritage, she said.
“I wanted to show the beauty of the island itself,” Esprit said.
Esprit said she often becomes frustrated with getting mistaken for being from the Dominican Republic. She wanted to use her work to highlight a heritage that can sometimes be submerged beneath others.
“The main idea was exposure,” Esprit said. “Things that were not taught in school when it comes to Black history and Black culture.”
Blakey said she hopes to continue creating projects like these to emphasize artistry within activism.
“Just having a space where people can come together and just talk about creative energy,” she said.