LatchKey Gallery is pleased to present Collateral Experiences, a solo presentation by Tennessee native, Josie Love Roebuck. On view from May 13 – June 19, 2022, with the artist reception taking place, May 20th, Collateral Experiences marks the artist's first solo show with the gallery. The exhibition includes tapestries, a sculpture, and wood cutouts; a process unique to Roebuck of sewing, paintings and screen-printing onto shaped wood.
Collateral Experiences explores the emotional, and psychological implications of the artist’s childhood as a biracial woman adopted by an all-white family. The exhibition is marked by, The Crossroads, a wood cutout of the artist at the age of nine, standing at the fence of her family farm, staring out, beginning to recognize the difference between her, her family and surrounding community. What continues, is a journey of experiences from her early childhood; filled with memories of innocence and play to adolescents and enduring moments of “not being whole” or “having to deny half of myself”.
At the center of the exhibition is the celebration of family, tender scenes from the artist’s childhood, showcasing the admiration for her siblings. Roebuck on a swing, her brother climbing a ladder; moments in time where neither her nor her brother recognized the racial differences from the rest of their family. We Are Blood I, Roebucks largest wood cutout to date, is a family portrait of the Roebuck siblings- the artist sits on top of the eldest shoulders adding a sense of protection to the scene.
The main room marks the turning point - where outside forces begin to draw attention to her differences, picking at her way of speaking, being not enough Black or White and the search for wholeness. Pillow Talk, an accumulation of pillows embroidered with fragments from Roebuck’s poems, confront these moments. “Does an Educated Black Woman Scare You”, “You Say I am all White” and “I am 30% Nigerian & 28% England & North Western European'' are just some of the texts that have absorbed the artist. Continuing the Bi-Racial Series, are portraits of her brother which call attention to the dense genetic web of every individual. Highlighting the latter part of her journey, Indistinguishable and Incompatible, a large tapestry of the artist and her brother at the beginning stages of self-awareness, sharing similar feelings of uncertainty, suffering from racial imposter syndrome, and growing to adults who lovingly embracing each other and the diversity that exists within.
Through her art, Josie Love Roebuck is discovering where she belongs as a biracial woman; giving herself the voice she so longed to express during her childhood.
Josie Love Roebuck (B. 1995) lives and works in Kenton, Kentucky. Recently referred to as “one to watch” by Art Net’s Annie Armston, future exhibitions include, Skin + Masks , Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL, and Kunstheille Krems Art Museum, Austria. Her work is part of numerous private and public collections most notably, A. Boafo, Accra, Ghana, T. El Glaoui, London, UK, Jimenez-Colón Collection, San Juan, Puerto Rico Beth Rudin DeWoody, Florida, A. Shariat, Vienna, Austria, C. Shen, Brooklyn, NY and Espacio Tacuarí, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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