Between The Warp and Weft: Weaving Shields of Strength and Spirituality, Charlie James Gallery, Photo by Yubo Dong; ofstudio
Between the Warp and Weft:
Weaving Shields of Strength and Spirituality
JUNE 15 - JULY 20, 2024
Charlie James Gallery
969 Chung King Rd
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Between The Warp and Weft: Weaving Shields of Strength and Spirituality, Charlie James Gallery, Photo by Yubo Dong; ofstudio
Between the Warp and the Weft is a deep and resonant exploration of Yoruba culture and the Ifá religion of which Cullors is a practitioner.
Fusing Malian mud cloth textiles, cowrie shells and metalwork to create what Cullors refers to as “a sanctuary of reflection and empowerment,” the core of the exhibition revolves around the sword of Oya, a spiritual emblem of power, protection and divine justice. Throughout Between the Warp and Weft, Oya's sword transcends its historical significance to address the pressing narrative of our times — the need for protection and reverence for Black women.
Cullors’ artistic practice, which is in part inspired by Los Angeles’ Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, invites the use of artworks as spiritual guardians, creating a legacy of creative offerings that exist beyond the visual plane and become both urgent cultural commentary and spiritual armor. To this end, Cullors has dedicated each piece in Between the Warp and Weft to a different Black woman in her life to whom she wants to extend protection.
“A lot of the work that I’ve done has been around the trauma of being Black in America, and also our resilience. We don't have the cultural right to protect ourselves … but what if we create spiritual objects of protection?”
—Patrisse Cullors
On the heels of her inclusion at the Fowler Museum of UCLA’s major exhibition exploring Yoruba sacred arts from Africa and beyond, Between the Warp and Weft is an invitation for viewers to traverse the paths of history and spirituality, to witness the interplay of power, divinity and artistry through the lens of Yoruba and African heritage.
The exhibition will be Cullors’ second showing at Charlie James Gallery. In 2023, she participated in a duo show with longtime collaborator noé olivas called Freedom Portals, in which she created tapestries of 12 of the 16 Odús, which are “books” — or signs and symbols — used for divination in Ifá. As part of her continuing artistic practice, Cullors intends to eventually make all 256 signs using vintage Malian mud cloth, metal, cowrie shells and etchings.
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“As a Black woman who’s an artist, entrepreneur, author, writer, it’s always been an expectation that I shrink, that I only do one thing…so part of what I have wanted to live out loud is that I’m a full human being that is very interested in the fullness of our humanity and the ways that we can access freedom.”
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North Star Project: Healing Generations, Crenshaw Dairy Mart, Photo by alexandre ali-reza dorriz
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