July 26, 2020 — August 15, 2020 | Opening Sunday July 26 from 1–5

The Struggle for Change

a group exhibition and auction to benefit the Black Lives Matter cause

Info

Murmurs organized this group show in reaction to the worldwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality. This exhibition is an exploration of art’s capacity to affect social evolution. Every work differs in its expressive modality used to evoke the artist’s connection to the fight for racial justice, from representational to symbolic, conceptual to poetic. The resulting exhibition illuminates the collective truth of a community, allowing it to be seen and, hopefully, inspire change.

*All artist’s donations and gallery proceeds will be donated to Black Lives Matter & Summaeverythang Community Center.*

Participating Artists

Zehra Ahmed (Food Project)
Marcel Alcalá
Hiba Ali
Themba Alleyne
Cudelice Brazelton
Dachi Cole
Chelsea Culprit
Lauren Elder
Charlotte Fox
Jake Freilich
Cherisse Gray
Charles Kelman (Fear Safe)
Benjamin Asam Kellogg
Brian Khek
Ian Markell
Jenine Marsh
Yong Soon Min
Jasmine Murrell
Narumi Nekpenekpen
Erin Jane Nelson (Enchanted Life Goods)
Jasmine Nyende
Puppies Puppies (Jade Kuriki Olivo)
Alison Veit
Bri Williams
Haena Yoo

Visit the Art Auction︎︎︎

Installation Views | Photo Credit: Paul Salveson and Joshua Schaedel

Leatherettes (Hard Cobalt), 2019
Cudelice Brazelton

Leatherettes (Big Indigo), 2019
Cudelice Brazelton

On June 6th, 2020 over half a million people in 550 places across America gathered in the midst of a pandemic to protest the brutal racism plaguing America’s justice, law enforcement, and carceral systems, catalyzed by the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. The Struggle for Change is about participating in and being activated by, this historic moment in the centuries-long global fight for racial justice, Black Life and Liberty. This exhibition is an exploration of art’s capacity to affect social evolution—both via the curated works which challenge the limits of visual representation to tackle oppression and the financial aid generated by the auctioning of the artwork. As artist, activist, and Black Panther Party member Emory Douglas wrote in his 1977 article Art in Service for the People, “In order to create accurate images of awareness we must participate in the changing of society and understand the political nature of art, because there is no such thing as art for art’s sake.”1 The idea of artists “participating in the changing of society” was a main consideration when curating this show. Rather than constructing an overarching narrative or a pointed message, the artwork in The Struggle for Change underscores a range of sentiments—from understanding through different experiences of lived oppression, to solidarity, outrage, frustration, fear, and hope for cultural evolution. Each piece was deliberately selected for how it evoked the particular artist’s connection to the fight for racial justice; every work differs in its expressive modality, from representational to symbolic, conceptual to poetic. The resulting exhibition illuminates the collective truth of a community, allowing it to be seen and, hopefully, inspire change.

At Home In the Presence of Fear, 2020
Marcel Alcalá

Little Mischiefs Came Wandering ~ Kinship Contemplation, 2020
Dachi Cole

Still from As Rough as Silk - Ongoing, The Indian Ocean: Silk, Leather, and Electronics Series, 2019
Hiba Ali

Same Chainz, 2020
Themba Alleyne

Untitled, 2020
Themba Alleyne

Untitled (Painting Justice 3), 2019
Jake Freilich

Bound Morpheme, 2020
Cherisse Gray

Safety is Subjective, 2019
Charles Kelman (Fear Safe)

Tower Prophecy, 2018
Benjamin Asam Kellogg

Soft Symbol, 2020
Ian Markell

You’re My Favorite Oil Spill, 2019
Narumi Nekpenekpen

The Struggle for Change intends to generate funds for the Black Lives Matter cause by way of an online auction at murmursartauction.com running throughout the duration of the exhibition. 100% of gallery proceeds and 70% of total sales to be donated equally between Black Lives Matter LA and the Summaeverythang Community Center in Watts which takes self-directed action to develop Black and Brown empowerment: personal, political, economic. The donation percentage was determined by the choices of the participating artists regarding the allocation of funds. The first option was a 50/50 split between the artist and gallery with 100% of gallery proceeds donated, second was 100% donation, and the third option was available to Black artists—to keep 100% of sales proceeds as a direct financial action to support racial justice. For full transparency, Murmurs will share receipts of the donations when they are made after the auction ends.

Body Packages Series, 2019
Haena Yoo

Scars That Heal and Don’t Fester Series, 2019
Bri Williams

Trigger (Glock 22) (Permanently disabled by Murmurs), 2020
Puppies Puppies (Jade Kuriki Olivo)

The Struggle for Change opens to the public by appointment only on Sunday July 26th until Saturday August 15th, 2020. The online auction will launch simultaneously. Anyone who cares to see the show in the gallery at Murmurs can make an appointment by emailing or DMing us on Instagram. On August 16th after the show and auction end is when the real work begins. The choice to cancel scheduled programming and reopen Murmurs after a four-month COVID hiatus with The Struggle for Change is the first step in our larger mission. The current climate of systemic racism which is inextricably linked to capitalism is untenable. When similar situations have arisen historically, revolutions soon follow, and during cultural revolutions artists and creative thinkers have a foundational role in leading the paradigm shift. We, at Murmurs, have been re-evaluating what an art space can do to be truly revolutionary, actualizing the change that we desperately want and need to see. This led to us creating a new mission statement and plan of action that concretizes Murmurs’ commitment to decolonizing and eradicating white supremacy in every aspect of what we do. We created these texts because we understand that empty words waste time—actions need to be taken. The Struggle for Change, which brings together 25 artists is an act of hope. It is a testament to the belief that, as Emory Douglas wrote, there is no such thing as art for art’s sake.