Somewhere… Away
Artists Alyssa Liles-Amponsah presents Somewhere…Away, curated by Marian Taylor Brown and mica rose.
Created during the C19 pandemic, Alyssa seeks to make visible the human element of sensationalize subjects that often become desensitized in the American public discourse.
2021 - 2022
A photograph of the first wall of Alyssa's exhibition. There are 5 artworks in white frames hung portrait-style on a brick wall. Each artwork has a white info plaque below. To the right of the artworks is an artist statement with Alyssa's portrait and the exhibition title, "Somewhere... Away". In front of the artworks on the wall are two sitting areas, one with warm colored leather couches and another with a high top wooden table and chairs.
A photograph of the first wall of Alyssa's exhibition. There are 5 artworks in white frames hung portrait-style on a brick wall. Each artwork has a white info plaque below. To the right of the artworks is an artist statement with Alyssa's portrait and the exhibition title, "Somewhere... Away". In front of the artworks on the wall are two sitting areas, one with warm colored leather couches and another with a high top wooden table and chairs.
A photograph of the first wall of Alyssa's exhibition. There are 5 artworks in white frames hung portrait-style on a brick wall. Each artwork has a white info plaque below. To the right of the artworks is an artist statement with Alyssa's portrait and the exhibition title, "Somewhere... Away". In front of the artworks on the wall are two sitting areas, one with warm colored leather couches and another with a high top wooden table and chairs. In the far end of the room is a cabinet with dried flowers on it in front a lavender purple wall.
A photograph of the second space of Alyssa's exhibition. In this gallery space are 4 artworks in white frames hung on two facing brick walls. Each artwork has an info plaque below. In the middle of the gallery space is a table with eight black rolling office chairs. On the far side of the room is a tall window with the shades half pulled down.
A photograph of two of Alyssa's artwork in the gallery space of the exhibition. Both artworks are hung in white frames against a brick wall. In front of the artworks are three black rolling office chairs pushed up against a table.
A different angle of the same gallery space showing two artworks hung in white frames on a brick wall. Next to the brick wall to the left is a soft, light moss green painted doorway that leads back out to the main space. In front of the artworks is a light colored table with 6 black rolling office hairs pushed up against it. On the table is a small potted plant.
A photograph of two of Alyssa's artworks in the small gallery space. The artworks are hung on a brick wall in white frames. In front of the artworks are 3 black office chairs pushed up against a table.
Another angle of the same two artworks in the small gallery space of Alyssa's exhibition. The two artworks hang in white frames on a brick wall. To the right of the brick wall is a soft, light moss-colored painted doorway that leads back out into the main exhibition space and seating areas. In front of the artworks is a long table with black office chairs pushed up against it. On the table is a small potted plant.
A photograph of the third space in Alyssa's exhibition. Three artworks hang on a brick wall to the left and one artwork in a white frame hangs to the right on a white wall. Below the artworks on the right are two small office tables, one is white and the other has a wooden surface. The artwork to the right on the white wall has a golden painted standing piano below it.
A photograph of the third viewing space in Alyssa's exhibition featuring three artworks hung on a brick wall. Each artwork is hanging from a metal structure built into the brick wall and features white info plaques below the artworks. In front of the brick wall are two small work tables, one white and the other with a wooden surface.
A photograph of Alyssa's artworks. One artwork in a white frame hangs on a white wall with a golden painted below below. Beyond the artwork closes to the viewer on the right is the main exhibition space with 5 artworks hanging in white frames and Alyssa's artist statement and bio photo.
Another view of the third viewing space for Alyssa's exhibition with three artworks hanging on a brick wall to the right. To the left beyond the artworks closest to the viewer is the main exhibition space and the doorway to the small gallery space.
Another view of the third viewing space in Alyssa's exhibition featuring a wide bay of floor-to-ceiling windows to the left of the three artworks hanging on the brick wall. In front of the artworks and window is a large conference table with 11 office chairs around it.
Alyssa smiles in front of her work.
Alyssa and Marian talk in front of a table full of food with people around them.
Folx clap in the audience at the artist talk.
Zakiyyah, Alyssa and Allyssa speak on stage at the show opening.
Alyssa smiles on stage.
Zakiyyah, Alyssa, Lia and Allyssa smile.
Folx view the art.
Lia sits on a stool listening to the panel discussion.
Artwork Image and Audio Descriptions
Three Black figures stand together against a white background. They are wearing white face masks and are painted without facial details. The leftmost figure has their left arm crossed over their right arm, and is wearing a black jacket with pink details, blue jeans, a black and white patterned bag, and a warm purple shoe with yellow socks. The middle figure wears a sweater with pink, red, and white tones, white/grey pants and shoes. The figure on the right has their arms crossed and wears an all black outfit with blue shoes.
A young Black person stands on a crosswalk, with a street lined with cars, trees, and buildings behind them. The person stands Vrikshasana (tree pose) with their hands in front of their heart. They wear a white face mask, a white loose fitting t-shirt, shorts, and black sneakers. Their hair is black and in two buns atop their head. The sky is painted a mixture of pinks and yellows, and there are two gray lines stretching horizontally across the sky.
An adult aged Black person is doing a headstand in the forefront of the image. He is wearing blue jean shorts, white socks, black shoes, and a yellow and orange shirt that resembles a tie-dye pattern. The background is a grassy area, in grayscale, where people stand with various signs that read “Black Queer Lives Matter”, “Black Trans Lives Matter” and “Protect Black Lives”. There is a large statue where a person sits on a horse on top of a pedestal. The sky behind is a swirl of various shades of red, white and black.
A Black child is on a swing. They wear a white dress with gray leggings and black and white sneakers. They are swinging through the dark night sky, stars in abundance and scattered in groups across the sky. Beneath the child’s swing is a street, painted shades of yellow and orange. Cars and buildings line the street, and periodically there is a splash of color painted on top of the original black and white photograph of the street.
A young girl is in the upper left corner, in the middle of breakdancing. She is posed fiercely, with her right arm and left leg outstretched away from her body, forming a straight line, as she crouches down with her left hand touching the ground. She seems to be soaring through the sky on a yellow floating platform as below her is a sidewalk with pedestrians passing by. There’s a tall white and yellow building in the background, and a dark purple sky consumes about half of the image, bleeding into the path the girl is on.
An adult aged Black person is doing a headstand in a grayscale photograph. He is wearing white socks, and his black shoes, red, yellow, and pink t-shirt and blue jean shorts are painted over with these colors. He is the only subject in the image, as the entire background is painted black.
A Black child rides on a scooter on a white, pink, and blue multicolored road on top of a large bump. The child is wearing a long sleeved shirt that is white with gray sleeves. In the background there is a bridge and various buildings. The sky is dark and starry.
A young child wears a white mask, tutu and leotard with tights. She stands on her tiptoes with her hands up in the air. She stands on a sidewalk, with some cars lining the opposite side of the street in front of a tall building. Trees and people can be seen in the background, and the sky is a swirl of white and blue.
Two people stand facing each other with their hands clasped together. The person on the left is a young Black girl, wearing a white face mask, a red long shirt, and a yellow skirt. The other person is a Black woman, who wears a white mask, long sleeved t-shirt, and orange pants, and is holding an iPhone in her hand. They both are wearing socks, and dancing. The background is gray and white paint strokes.
In the rightmost third of the piece, there is a Black person mid jog. They are wearing short yellow bottoms and a black t-shirt. Behind them, you can see four individuals also jogging, but they are only in grayscale and undefined in their features. Surrounding them is a bright red background, with darker and lighter shades throughout the paint strokes.
A young girl balances on a unicycle. She is wearing a yellow tank top, red shorts, gray and white sneakers and her skin is a deep shade of cool brown. A flurry of different shades of blue, gray and white surrounds her as she keeps her balance with her arms outstretched.
Two people crouch together on a sidewalk corner, posing for the camera. The person on the left wears a pale yellow shirt with gray pants and a black crossbody bag, and the person on the right wears all black with white shoes. They both wear white face masks, and both have dark hair and deep complexions. Their backdrop is a street, Market St, and we can see cars, pedestrians, and some tall buildings. The sky is pink, and textured from the paint.
One white child with blond short blonde hair and one Black child with their hair in a bun are sitting in grass in front of each other. They both wear sweater jackets in various shades of blue and purple. In the grass with them is a board game that has black text saying, “TROUBLE”. Behind them is a large orange passenger van and a red-pink ranch-style home with windows.
Exhibition Documentation Photography by Mel Taing © 2021