Smile Politely

Anti-racism photography at The Basement Gallery

This Friday, The Basement Gallery will host an anti-racism photography exhibit designed by Tyler Courtney.

The event takes place at 7 p.m. Advance registration is required and only 50 spots are available. Attendees will meet at Bentley’s and depart for the gallery at 7:15 p.m.

A statement from the artist:

Through my own experiences I have noticed that one of the biggest problems surrounding racism is that people don’t discuss it, especially interracially. To combat this, people need to be given a reason and a place to start a conversation about racism. I created the ec(LIPS)e HATE campaign to build bridges, destroy bias, racism and hatred by bringing people together. In this case, by drawing inspiration from the hateful racist responses the recent MAC Cosmetics photo of a black woman’s lips received online, I highlight an issue of bias and misunderstanding that people can use as a platform to discuss these issues further. The specific issue that I focus on with this campaign is the fact that white women will go to extensive, painful and dangerous lengths to achieve what is naturally occurring in black women yet they will turn around and condemn black women for the same feature that they covet.

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