Dress Code: Black Only celebrates resilience reserved for the Black student body at Kansas City Art Institute. The work in this exhibition showcases intersections of the Black consciousness, interior, and internet spaces. As critical political conversations have moved from the streets to online platforms, there has been a rise of the fetishization of Black suffering supporting agendas detrimental to the Black community.
The Black Student Union requires participants to steer away from violent themes to rectify the misrepresentation of the Black body in the media. Grasping this extraordinary time of isolation and rest as a guide to self-reflection, we claim a new reality that embraces discovery and representation through the inherent need for creativity. Each artist in this exhibition demonstrates a response to history through various mediums to revel in the present and prosper to remarkable, unimaginable Black futures.
