APRIL 26, 2017 – JUNE 25, 2017

MoAD Emerging Artists presents Lili Bernard: Antebellum Appropriations

Through large-scale oil paintings, Lili Bernard reconfigures the art historical canon by turning classical European paintings into slave narratives in her series, Antebellum Appropriations. Bernard’s work exposes the post-colonial paradigm of suffering and resilience, through a collision of cruelty against compassion. The generational struggle of her Afro-Cuban immigrant family and Caribbean ancestors, coupled with her personal experiences as a rape survivor, informs Bernard’s visual exploration of the impact of trauma and the unconquerable nature of the human spirit. Lili received her MFA at Otis College of Art and Design, in the Public Practice Program, under the tutelage of Suzanne Lacy. Lili gave birth to six children in a ten year span: Rafael, Isaiah, Elias, Uriel, Joshua & Zion.

Reception & Artist Talk, 6:30-8pm, Thursday, May 18, 2017

MoAD Emerging Artists is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum & Library Services.