Kameelah Janan Rasheed is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist, writer, and former public schoo
Kameelah Janan Rasheed is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist, writer, and former public school teacher who describes herself as a “learner first.” Her exploratory approach embraces unfinished, in-process thinking over easy interpretations—or “readings”—prompting the questions: Are we reading closely? Are we reading with care? For the artist, close reading is an exercise to hone attention and engagement as well as a strategy for liberation, particularly in respect to Black experiences.Read Closely In To Escape the Algebra (2020) Rasheed turns a text on its side, making it difficult for the viewer to read. What does “close reading” mean in a text where information is obscured? What is the connection between math and writing? The image of a child in motion is cropped, with the focus on their action, but not their identity. They are made static in the circle, plotted on the black-and-white page. How does our reading become reductive? How might our attempts at meaning harm or benefit other people? And how can we move toward more expansive ways of reading? Reading and reflections by Stacey Kahn with Keonna Hendrick, Kelsey Goldman, and Tamar MacKay. Images: Kameelah Janan Rasheed (American, born 1985). To Escape the Algebra, 2020. Vinyl. © Kameelah Janan Rasheed. (Photo: Courtesy of the artist) ⇨ Installation views, Kameelah Janan Rasheed: Are We Reading Closely? Brooklyn Museum, November 11, 2020–January 10, 2021. (Photos: Jonathan Dorado) -- source link
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