Otabenga Jones Collective: Jamal Cyrus, Kenya Evans and Robert Pruitt Symmetrical Patterns of Def

As the Otabenga Jones Artists Collective, Houston artists Cyrus, Evans, and Pruitt design a sound and found object installation for Lawndale’s upstairs gallery based upon an original 28th Century narrative called, Symmetrical Patterns of Def. As described by the artists, the science-fiction narrative and exhibition draws “connections, both real and imaginary, between the African-American people’s mysterious past, shaky present, and uncertain future.” The artists use diverse source material, from Leroi Jones’ A System of Dante’s Inferno, Greek mythology, African,African-American, and U.S. history, music, and spirituality to inspire and articulate this complex future