Exhibition to feature important works by Firelei Báez, Teresita Fernandez, Sky Hopinka, Yinka Shonibare, and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, among others
BALTIMORE, MD – On May 18, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will open Black Earth Rising, a timely exhibition that examines the connections between the climate crisis and colonialism through profoundly beautiful works by contemporary African diasporic, Latin American, and Native American artists. Organized by celebrated curator and writer Ekow Eshun, the exhibition features some of today’s most acclaimed artists, including Firelei Báez, Alejandro Piñeiro Bello, Frank Bowling, Teresita Fernández, Todd Gray, Sky Hopinka, Wangechi Mutu, Yinka Shonibare, and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Together, their works highlight the ways that artists of color are engaging with the splendor of nature as a means of liberation and reclamation, while also offering audiences opportunities to consider the historical trajectory of today’s climate crisis. Black Earth Rising is a ticketed exhibition organized as part of the BMA’s Turn Again to the Earth initiative, which explores environmental issues through a range of exhibitions and programs, as well as sustainability planning. It will remain on view through September 21, 2025.
“As the world grapples with one of the most pressing issues of our time, I couldn’t think of a better interlocutor than Ekow to bring this necessary exhibition to our audiences. Black Earth Rising brings forward the boundless imagination and perspectives of incredible artists and urges us to rethink climate change through its historical roots,” said Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “Black Earth Rising will also stir the senses and pull on our consciences, and hopefully provoke us to new pathways of understanding and action. Each of the exhibitions in Turn Again to the Earth are polyphonic, at turns joyful and sobering, and for all of our community, no matter your background.”
Black Earth Rising positions artists of color as central to our understanding of climate change. The paintings, sculpture, film, and works on paper created by the featured artists grapple with the impacts of cultural displacement and the legacies of slavery, and at the same time, many of these artists find healing, liberation, and transcendence in nature. In this way, artists are uniquely positioned to shift the direction of environmental conversations—by both reflecting on the persistent ramifications of colonialism and celebrating the power of nature to offer experiences of extraordinary beauty, joy, and respite. The artworks in the show are as vividly colored, dynamic, and ecstatic as they are thoughtful and moving. They inspire optimism even as we confront the history and future of climate change.
The exhibition’s name is taken from terra preta—Portuguese for “black soil”—which refers to a type of fertile earth found in the Amazon Basin that was created by ancient Indigenous civilizations many thousands of years ago through a process of intentional soil management.
More information: https://artbma.org
