Outdoor Exhibition at St. Ann's Warehouse in Dumbo Explores 'Lost Ones' of Racist Violence

A new, striking art exhibition is currently on view outside St. Ann’s Warehouse in Dumbo.

Organized by Supremacy Project, a group formed in the wake of protests over the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the exhibition exists in two sections. On the side of St. Ann’s Warehouse that faces Water Street, you’ll find work by the artist Michael Boyd under the title “LOST ONES. CULTURE FOUND.” Here, album covers inspired by the graphic designer Reid Miles and the typographic work he did for the famous jazz label Blue Note Records are repurposed. Now, the faces are not Miles Davis, John Coltrane or Freddie Hubbard but Black men and women who have been victims of police brutality and hate crimes: Elijah McCain, Sandra Bland and Emmett Till.

“When the appropriation of our art forms precede the acknowledgment of our humanity and suffering, how might that work be reconstituted in service as a remedy to the side effects of its inverted praise?” Boyd wrote on Instagram regarding the series. The images are joined by blocky text, provided by the writers Cyrus Aaron, Mahogany L. Browne and Justin El, which speak poetically to the themes of the series.

Starting in the alleyway between St. Ann’s and Empire Stories is the work of Julian Alexander and Steven “Sweatpants” Irby. Their section is called “SUPREMACY: WHO PROTECTS ME FROM YOU?” and is the second iteration of the project (the first was displayed across from the Brooklyn Navy Yard in July 2020).

The entire exhibition was curated by Khadijat Oseni, an activist and writer from Brooklyn. The closing date for the show has not been announced. More information on the exhibition and the artists can be found here.

[Photos by Craig Hubert]

Related Stories

• State Parks Scraps Initial Designs for Marsha P. Johnson Park After Outcry
• Short Film Documents How the Bed Stuy Black Lives Matter Mural Created a Gathering Space
• Brooklyn Artists Speak Directly to Brooklyn in BAM’s ‘Let Freedom Ring’ Installation

Sign up for amNY’s COVID-19 newsletter to stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York City. Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.