MICA is pleased to present, Shaun Leonardo: The Breath of Empty Space: a collection of drawings and video by the Brooklyn-based artist that critique how mediated images of systemic oppression and violence against brown and black young men in contemporary American history have shaped our fear, empathy, and perception.
In a series of intimate drawings based on images widely circulated in popular media, Leonardo calls on the additive nature of drawing to explore the reductive nature of memory, addressing how time and circulation affect what is recalled, seen, forgotten, or ignored.
Using mirrored tints and die-cut glass, the works reframe the information viewers provide when details are omitted, the wall between artwork and gallery frame is interrupted, and comfort and safety are compromised.
Accompanying the drawings is a video installation of Leonardo’s public art performance, The Eulogy (2017), which recreates a New Orleans Jazz Funeral to hold space for bodies who no longer physically can. Shaun Leonardo: The Breath of Empty Space is organized by independent curator John Chaich.