12. September 2020, INSIDE BLACK, Group Exhibition at Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, 4 – 27 Sep. 2020.

With thanks to Joan Gannij for this text originally posted in Facebook on 27 Sep. 2020.

INSIDE BLACK is RIGHT ON Track… here is the invitation and information for the opening of exhibition and book launch 4 September 2020.

1. There is a book signing with readings on September 18, 2020 at American Book Center 18:00 h. Books are selling like mad in pre-sales; go to www.abc.nl and order your copy now! (direct link: https://abc.nl/book-details/inside-black/g9789491030120)

2. You are cordially invited for the Exhibition Opening of: INSIDE BLACK on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 18:00 – 20:00 h.

Location: Art Society/Kunstsociëteit Arti et Amicitiae, Rokin 112, 1012 LB Amsterdam, Netherlands. Telephone: 020 624 5134; Website: http://www.arti.nl

Timeframe 1: 18-20h

Timeframe 2: 20-22h

Please RSVP by emailing arti@arti.nl

Participating Artists: Leslie Browne, Angéle Etoundi Essamba, Joan Gannij, Sean Hannan, Sara Hermanides, Saskia Janssen, George Korsmit, Alexander Van Der Linden, Anthony Murrell, Eddy Posthuma De Boer, Robbert Ruigrok, Rob Sweere, Esther Tielemans.

Curator: Leslie Browne

In this dynamic year of change and collective upheaval, Arti et Amicitiae will host INSIDE BLACK. INSIDE BLACK, a dynamic concept in which the depth and meaning of the color black is explored through art, science and culture. This project includes a book and an exhibition.

Black is loaded with associations throughout history referring to race, class, the human shadow side, the unknown and now Black holes. These subjects will be addressed INSIDE BLACK. INSIDE BLACK the exhibition will investigate the meaning of black through painting, drawing, photography, a video-installation featuring New York spoken word poets, and more. We want to stimulate the viewers to see black in a new perspective. Whether it be about race, the darkness of night, or the stranger in ourselves, blackness is the invitation to open our minds. We are striving to contradict the negative connotations which we have been conditioned to believe about ‘what is black’ in Western society. INSIDE BLACK explores and celebrates the many sides of black from what we thought we knew to the spirit of who we really are. The book INSIDE BLACK contains 33 chapters written by artists, poets, and visionaries from the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA, to give their take on what black means to them, personally and professionally. During the opening American Book Center will be selling the book INSIDE BLACK. Also available at ABC Books, Spui 12 or online www.abc.nl

Opening musical performance: by Denise Jannah, vocals, Atzko Kohashi, piano and Tony Overwater, bass and

Opening Dance Performance: ODE Concept/choreography: Monique Duurvoort. Dancers: Yailah Vroom & Monique Duurvoort. Based on her chapter in the book, Monique presents Odeas, a reflection on the position of her mixed heritage back- round in relation to her life in professional dance, and the frictions and connections this continues to produce.

3. Exhibition Dates: September 5 – 27, 2020. Opening hours Tue – Sun 12:00 – 18:00 h

Entrance: € 3,-

Exhibition Location: Art Society/Kunstsociëteit Arti et Amicitiae, Rokin 112, 1012 LB Amsterdam, Netherlands. Telephone: 020 624 5134; Website: http://www.arti.nl

Inside Black Exhibition Website: https://www.arti.nl/tentoonstelling/inside-black/

For the INSIDE BLACK BOOK: www.ABC.NL (Direct link: https://abc.nl/book-details/inside-black/g9789491030120)

Inside Black

Conceived by Leslie Browne | Edited by Joan Gannij

€ 60.00

Inside Black explores and investigates every aspect associated with black. The project, comprised of this book (and an art exhibition), was conceived six years ago by painter/poet Leslie Browne.

Inside Black features a diverse range of chapters by an international group of contributors which include: an interview with artist Anish Kapoor by award-winning documentary filmmaker Maartje Nevejan; poetry and spoken word by Quincy Troupe, David Henderson, Benjamin Fro, OTION, and others; a reflection on love and Black music by Dr. Charissa Granger of Erasmus University (Rotterdam); a contemplation of the Black Hole Theory by Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Professor Gerard ‘t Hooft; choreographer Monique Duurvoort on the dilemma of being mixed heritage in the pristinely white world of ballet; illuminations from Akinsanya Kambon, artist and former Black Panther, on racism in the military, the world of sports, and the relationship of PTSD to police violence; crossing paths with Muhammad Ali on the days before a rare defeat, and much more. Most chapters are accompanied by exceptional black and white photographs by photographers from the New York Times, Vanity Fair and Life magazines. The chapters focusing on painters, sculptors, and visual artists Anthony Murrell, Esther Tielemans, Saskia Janssen, and Rob Sweere, among others, include images of their work.