Looking For America: Detroit
Local Partners
Meet the Artists
Kia Arriaga
“Only just a dream...”
3’ x 3’ x 5’ mixed media installation (ofrenda)
Noura Ballout
“Coming Home”
36” x 24” chromogenic print
“I am having a hard time answering this question. To be an American as a brown, trans, queer person is to be Othered, to be a target. To be an American today is to live in fear.”
—NOURA BALLOUT, on what it means to be american in detroit
Elton Monroy Duran
“We the People”
12’ x 8’ masonite mural
Bree Gant
“Hypercathected”
16” x 24” archival photo print and 2’ x 2’ material culture installation
Ghana Think Tank
“American Riad”
3’ x 3’ sculpture
“Having a place to call home, regardless of race, religion, national origin or citizenship, gender expression, or sexual orientation is the promise of America. And it is a promise we intend to keep.”
—ghana think tank, on what it means to be american in detroit
Arturo Herrera
“My Name Is The Name Of The Republic”
14” x 11” (each panel) oil and acrylic on engraved wood tryptic
Chido Johnson
“Wish you where here”
Postcard installation curated by Chido Johnson and Elizabeth Muusha, Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Mutare
Hiroko Lancour
“Dual Citizenship”
34.5” x 52” hand-dyed cotton and silk thread
“Bicultural Happi Coat”
6 min. 1 sec. running time
“I have noticed prejudice and resentment directed toward Japanese, especially during the U.S.-Japan trade war of the 1980s. [But] the diversity and vibrant culture of Detroit inspired me to become an artist, and I am grateful for that.”
—hiroko lancour, on what it means to be american in detroit
Manal Shoukair
“Days of Juice”
12” x 14” photograph, solid bronze, and dried pomegranate
Miroslawa Sztuczka
"Detroit"
36” x 36” mixed media on canvas
“After living here for eight years, I can proudly see how the cultural and ethnic diversity of all the residents of Detroit gives this magnificent city its strength and power.”
—Miroslawa Sztuczka, on what it means to be american in detroit
Gracieuse Xavier
“Ti Swazo” (English - “Little Bird”)
36” x 36” mixed media on denim