Blood is Thicker than the Water that Separated U.S.
Friday, 04/01/2022 through Sunday, 07/03/2022
The Lewis Latimer House Museum (LLHM) presents the solo exhibition “Blood is Thicker than the Water that Separated U.S." by New York-based artist Dario Mohr. Inspired by the sense of family migration, black excellence, and Lewis Latimer's contributions to science through light, "Blood is Thicker than the Water that Separated U.S." is a series of dark room, projection and LED light inspired works.
Situated in the history of forced migration and collective loss of recollection in ancestral lineage, Mohr’s artwork draws on his own challenges to connect with his West African heritage and identity as a first-generation Grenadian American. Through his work, Mohr seeks to address the gap that exists of those who were historically held captive and other U.S citizens, while representing the plight of many African Americans and Caribbean American people who have assimilated to European culture out of survival.
For this exhibition, Mohr traveled with his mother to Grenada to reconnect with family and unravel the origin myths of their family in an attempt to draw a connection from his recent Grenadian heritage to West Africa. Video works documenting the artist's explorations in his journey will be displayed among objects and materials sourced from Grenada.
Through this personal narrative, Mohr intends to engage BIPOC audience members who may be in a similar situation, particularly people of African descent from the Lesser Antilles who may be inspired to uncover family myths and blind spots, providing a sense of closure for the reclamation of ancestral identity.
…is a New York City based interdisciplinary artist who creates interactive sanctuary experiences. Born in 1988, Mohr received a BFA from Buffalo State College, and an MFA from The City College of New York. In addition to work created in painting, sculpture or made digitally, he often includes assembled objects to build immersive "sacred spaces". These often exist in unexpected places, using mundane objects. Because objects are endowed with the significance that the viewer blesses it with, his work can provide a lot of space for divergent perspectives and interpretations. The recycling of old work is also fundamental to Mohr's practice. Sometimes a previously used item provides the perfect juxtaposition to enhance or add depth to new explorations. In addition to his individual art practice, he is also the Founder and Director of AnkhLave Arts Alliance, Inc. which is a non-profit for the recognition and representation of BIPOC artists in contemporary art.
