Pantheon Anew

Pantheon Anew

July 28, 2022 - September 23, 2022

Reception: July 28, 2022

Pantheon Anew is a collection of more than 30 collages plus video art and installation inspired by the past and present of Black diasporic spirituality. African people who were bought and sold in the 16th to 19th century Americas were regularly separated from their families and anyone from their region. Over the centuries, this artist’s ancestors took what they were allowed to build new systems of belief that helped to create protection, community and new understanding.  

Honoring these legacies of gathering and crafting for worship and necessity, Barbaric’s collages incorporate magazines, comics, and books from 1963 to the present — some long-loved and some new to the artist — alongside watercolor and acrylic painting. The artist showcases fantasy beings they created and heroes of modern media, sharing the internal pantheon that holds them up. Each piece juxtaposes youth and adult imagery to evoke how we each collect and build a sense of self through time and practice. Barbaric also invites a group of contemporary Black artists to contribute to a video gallery speculating on how that accumulation of self can affect the ebb and flow of spiritual connection.

Join us for the opening on Thursday, July 28. Saira will be present from 1 – 5 p.m. 

What To Expect

This exhibition includes multimedia representations of clothed and nude bodies, fake blood, rituals, bones, as well as excerpts from vintage erotica and comic books.

About Saira Barbaric

Saira Barbaric (they, he, she, ze) is a nonbinary Black disabled hedonist fascinated by birth, death and rebirth. They are a maker of erotica, performance art, collages and events. Barbaric grounds their work in mediums and venues considered both high and low art with the aim at weakening the barrier between the two. After an undergraduate degree in costuming for theater, Barbaric came west to work in film and nightlife while continually dreaming of crafts. Be it fiber, paper, the body or fauna, Barbaric is driven by how materials interact. Barbaric is the co-founder of Scumtrust Productions, a nonbinary porn project that crafts films and spaces exalting sensual magic. Scumtrust films have been selected to screen in dozens of cities across North America and Europe including HUMP, 2017, the Porn Film Festival Berlin, 2021 and The Seattle Erotic Art Festival, 2022.  

Images: Skull Guard 2: Goat, Acrylic, foil, watercolor, paper, 2021; Image courtesy of artist.

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