In Pursuit: Artists’ Perspectives on a Nation

National Liberty Museum
321 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
May 10 – October 28, 2024

Philadelphia Sculptors (PS) is collaborating with the National Liberty Museum (NLM) to present an ambitious multi-media exhibition featuring sculptures and large-scale installations by seven internationally acclaimed artists. Displayed in galleries on multiple floors, the exhibition explores different American narratives and personal journeys that address issues of democracy and its erosion in our country. NLM’s commitment to using art as a catalyst for deeper dialogues about liberty made it a perfect partner for the exhibition.

PS invited works from cross-disciplinary artist Anila Quayyum Agha, sculptor Angel Cabrales, multi-disciplinary artist Nicholas Galanin, visual artist Arghavan Khosravi, social practice and fiber artist Aram Han Sifuentes, multi-disciplinary artist Artur Silva, and multi-media project-based artist Marisa Williamson.

Immigration is among the many subjects examined in the exhibition. Pakistani American cross-disciplinary artist Anila Quayyum Agha contributes This Is Not A Refuge, a laser cut aluminum shelter casting elaborate shadows, that reflects on the complex issues resulting from displacement.

El Paso, Texas-based Latino sculptor Angel Cabrales’s piece A Venture in Migration, examines other aspects of immigration. One part of the installation invites visitors to play the game The Pursuit of Happiness, a game about migration. Video projections with documentary footage and interviews with residents and migrants complete the installation.

In his installation Neon American Anthem (blue), Alaska-based multi-disciplinary Tlingít and Unangax̂ artist Nicholas Galanin responds to recent historic events by mounting a neon blue sign with a proclamation and an invitation for visitors to become a part of the artwork by releasing their emotions.

Iranian-born visual artist Arghavan Khosravi responds to the Iranian government’s crackdown on protestors against the oppression of women with her sculptural paintings, The Dichotomy, The Red Carpet (A Massacre) and The Flight. Now living in the US, with a perspective from both sides, her work blends Eastern and Western imagery as it connects to universal messages about human rights.

Korean American social practice and fiber artist Aram Han addresses gun violence and hate crimes against Asian-Americans. In Memorial to Gun Violence: An AR-15 was Destroyed to Make this For You, she uses ink made from a dissolved AR-15 assault rifle to create a thought-provoking fabric installation. I Often Think About How I’ll Stop Bullets from Entering Your Body is a series of unsettling body prints created in collaboration with her daughter.  An audience participation component invites visitors to share their own experiences in writing, to be added to the outside of the fabric structure.

A Brazilian multi-disciplinary artist based in Indiana, Artur Silva interrogates both capitalism and imperialist narratives. All Threats Came in Waves creates a jungle-like setting where camouflaged figures clothed in vegetation and wearing video monitors reveal the machinations of the U.S. government working to topple the Brazilian government in the 1960s.

Inspired by the legacy of Sally Hemings, Virginia-based multi-media artist Marisa Williamson creates an installation and performance series engaged with questions relating to monuments, as well as history, race, feminism, and technology. Seedbed V is a ruin with multiple identities as a classroom, garden and bed.

PS and NLM will present a series of in-person and virtual programs, including performances, talks, artist-led community events, and panel discussions with historians and thought leaders on issues raised by the artworks. More information will be forthcoming.

PS Curators:
Elaine Crivelli
Leslie Kaufman