A Solo Exhibition by Jamilla Okubo

An Aesthetic of Blackness: The Sacred and the Profound is a theoretical intervention which considers the home as the most significant site of intimacy, Black Femininity and style. The ability to see oneself, and for others to see you, is a form of validation. Where do we truly see, unsee and examine ourselves the most? In her third solo exhibition, Jamilla Okubo takes a leap in a new direction. Through muted colors and an emphasis on the objects that characterize our most significant site of intimacy, Okubo reveals her subjects in a new way. The homes that set as the backdrop for the different periods in our lives are determined by the figures that dominated those spaces. In consideration of the glamorous, sexy, assured, stylish subjects she admires, Okubo is interested in embracing and validating the existence of Black Women through the presentation of this particular site of intimacy. 

In this exhibition, Okubo offers a new visual language for Black womanhood. This is a pivotal moment in the early career of Jamilla Okubo, as it reveals a new stage of her portrayal of Black women. While her subjects remain centered conceptually, they are truly articulated through their surroundings. We get an opportunity to consider how the stages of our lives are reflected in the figures and objects that shift in our home. Through the relationship between the painter and her subject, we also get a fresh perspective into the ways in which black women aid one another in the process of determining themselves.  

Jamilla Okubo’s third solo exhibition is a testament to the power and necessity of intimate spaces in the efforts to build ourselves and our futures. It is a message to the world that reveals the profundity of identity formation at the most significant sites of intimacy, and how visually stunning those sacred moments can truly be.