The opening reception of the new Gordon Parks exhibition at Pace Gallery vividly reminded me of the first time I encountered his photography. I can’t recall the when and where of the exact moment, but I distinctly remember the sensation…

“Finding Soft Ground” combines portraiture, text, video, and more to highlight the lives of Black women and femmes in various physical and emotional environments, revealing the abnormality of normalized discomfort, aggression, and terror while spotlighting the critical spaces of care, sanctuary, and ease that often go unrecognized.

Renowned for her offering of powerful sociopolitical commentary with an impassioned poetic flair, multidisciplinary artist-activist LaToya Ruby Frazier has dedicated her 20-plus-year career to reviving and preserving forgotten narratives of labor, inequality, gender, and race in the postindustrial era.

“A mystical black bird can fly to hidden dimensions,” the 30-year-old Brazilian artist said in a recent interview.