our shared horizon #1, inkjet print on travertine, 2022. Image courtesy of the artist.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dara Katrina Del Rosario
Communications & Partnerships Manager
[email protected]

yétúndé ọlágbajú’s solo exhibition HORIZON/you hold my shape
connects Yoruba creation myth to family and self memory

On view July 31–August 21, 2022
Opening reception July 30, 7–9 PM

June 29, 2022, San Francisco, CA–Oakland-based artist, maker, strategist, and organizer yétúndé ọlágbajú is partnering with SOMArts Cultural Center to bring to life one of their most ambitious visions: a solo show that reinterprets the Yoruba genesis myth of the Golden Chain, connecting it to their family stories, memories, hopes, and dreams.

HORIZON/you hold my shape is the first iteration of a large-scale video installation, performance, and sculpture series, as conceived by yétúndé ọlágbajú. On view at SOMArts July 31–August 21, this exhibition features beautifully vignetted videos, Black devotion, and ritual movement. In this in-between space of longing, Black creation, pleasure, and improvisation are woven together into an intergenerational narrative unbound by time or geography.

This exhibition includes family photographs and written words by the artist’s parents. ọlágbajú’s father is from Ilé-Ifẹ̀ where, according to Yoruba tradition, a Golden Chain was said to have dropped, leading to the creation of humans. By paralleling this Yoruba creation myth with their own family and self memory, the hopes and dreams of their parents, and their artistic practice, HORIZON/you hold my shape finds agency in creation and proclaims how, despite the world continuously attempting to break us, we will always find and see ourselves in each other.

yétúndé uses video, sculpture, action, gesture, and performance as through-lines for inquiries regarding Black labor, legacy, and processes of healing. They are rooted in the need to understand history, the people that made it, the myths surrounding them, and how their own body is implicated in history’s timeline. Having exhibited and curated at SOMArts Cultural Center at various points throughout their artistic career, they seek to generate spaces of authenticity, healing, and freedom for themself and other Black, queer, and trans* people.

HORIZON/you hold my shape opens with a free, all-ages reception on Saturday, July 30, 7–9 PM PST and features a performance by yétúndé ọlágbajú alongside Jacqueline Copeland (mother of the artist), Breonna Carter, Eli Meza, Titania Kumah, Avé-Ameenah Long, and Nana Boateng.

Image courtesy of Jacob Cruz-Rine

About yétúndé ọlágbajú
yétúndé ọlágbajú is an artist, strategist, and educator currently residing in Oakland, CA. They utilize video, sculpture, photography, gesture, and performance as through-lines for inquiries regarding Black labor, legacy, and processes of healing. They are rooted in the need to understand history, the people that made it, the myths and realities surrounding them, and how their own identity is implicated in history’s timeline.

They have shown work and projects with the Oakland Museum of California, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, The New School, SOMArts Cultural Center, Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, The DeYoung Museum, and more.

They hold an MFA from Mills College and are the recipient of the Svane Foundation award, the inaugural Nancy Cook Fellowship, the Jay Defeo award, and a Murphy Cadogan award. They are a member of multiple Black and Brown liberation-focused artist and worker-led collectives and are represented by pt. 2 Gallery.

CALENDAR LISTINGS
All exhibition programs and gallery hours are subject to change. Entry during gallery hours is free. To learn about SOMArts’ COVID–19 safety plan, please visit somarts.org/covid19updates

HORIZON/you hold my shape
July 31–August 21, 2022

HORIZON/you hold my shape is the first iteration of a large-scale video installation, performance, and sculpture series conceived by yétúndé ọlágbajú.

To learn more, visit: somarts.org/event/horizon

Opening Reception and Performance
Saturday, July 30, 7:00–9:00 PM
SOMArts Main Gallery

Free, all-ages opening reception and performance featuring yétúndé ọlágbajú alongside Jacqueline Copeland (mother of the artist), Eli Meza, Titania Kumah, Avé-Ameenah Long, and Nana Boateng.

To learn more, visit: somarts.org/horizon-performance

GALLERY HOURS
Please note that the gallery will be closed to the public for 30 minutes each day for maintenance.

Thursday–Friday
3:00–5:00 PM, 5:30–7:30 PM

Saturday–Sunday
12:00–2:00 PM, 2:30–5:00 PM

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ABOUT SOMARTS CULTURAL CENTER

SOMArts Cultural Center, founded in 1979, cultivates access to the arts within the Bay Area by collaborating with community-focused artists and organizations. Together, we engage the power of the arts to provoke just and fair inclusion, cultural respect and civic participation.

SOMArts plays a vital role in the arts ecosystem by helping activate the arts citywide. We do this by providing space and production support for non-profit events, as well as fairs and festivals throughout the Bay Area, and offering a robust program of art exhibitions, classes, events and performances that are affordable and accessible to all. SOMArts’ exhibition programs receive critical support from the San Francisco Arts Commission and The San Francisco Foundation, and are sponsored in part by a grant from Grants for the Arts.

SOMArts is located at 934 Brannan Street—between 8th and 9th—within 2 blocks of 101, I-80, Muni lines and bike paths. For public information call 415-863-1414 or visit somarts.org. Stay connected by following us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.