Loophole of Retreat
2022
As part of her exhibition at the U.S. Pavilion, American artist Simone Leigh brought together scholars, artists, and activists, including Okwui Okpokwasili, from around the world for a major project, Loophole of Retreat: Venice.
From a peephole in her grandmother’s garret that rests on her master’s property, a young woman watches while remaining concealed. Inspired by the autobiography of writer, abolitionist, and escaped slave girl Harriet Jacobs (1813-97), “Loophole of Retreat” locates a space of creation within places of capture. This self-reflexive production of freedom within incarceration - a hidden reality carved from within the center of power - served as a metaphor for this convening. The three-day symposium comprised dialogue, performances, and presentations centered on Black women’s intellectual and creative labor.
organized by Rashida Bumbray with curatorial advisors Saidiya Hartman, University Professor at Columbia University, and Tina Campt, Owen F. Walker Professor of Humanities and Modern Culture and Media, Brown University
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Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, October 7-9, 2022