Bound by the Soil | Jamaal Barber and Rashaun Rucker

Join us for a 2 person exhibition of work by Rashaun Rucker and Jamaal Barber.

Jamaal Barber and Rashaun Rucker invite viewers to journey through the rich landscapes of North Carolina, their birthplace, exploring deep-rooted connections to family, sacred spaces, and the poignant memories of the South. The show delves into the complexities of their shared heritage, harnessing the power of nostalgia and the struggle for identity through the lens of personal and communal histories. Both artists draw inspiration from their familial ties and the echoes of the past that resonate within their lives.

Detroit-based artist Rashaun Rucker connects Christian iconography, Black spirituality, and notions of ancestry.

Rashaun Rucker (b. 1978, Winston-Salem, NC) is an accomplished artist and alumnus of North Carolina Central University and Marygrove College. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Print Media from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Rucker creates a diverse range of works, including photographs, prints, objects, and drawings, and has been honored with over 40 national and state awards for his artistic endeavors. In 2008, he made history as the first African American to be named Michigan Press Photographer of the Year. That same year, he also received a national Emmy Award for his documentary photography focusing on the pit bull culture in Detroit.

Jamaal Barber is an artist and printmaker based in Atlanta that explores Black identity.

Jamaal Barber is a creative, imaginative soul born in Virginia and raised in North Carolina. In 2013, after seeing a screen printing demo at a local art store, Jamaal started experimenting with printmaking, making it his primary focus. His woodcuts and mixed-media prints illustrate the new Folio Society special edition of The Underground Railroad written by Colson Whitehead. Jamaal recently participated in the MTV/Smithsonian Channel art competition show The Exhibit. He has also worked for Twitter, the New York Times, Penguin Random House, Black Art in America, and Emory University.