On Belonging opens March 8 at The Warehouse with special dance performance March 9
On Belonging Art Collaboration Exploring Place and History in Milwaukee to Run at The Warehouse Museum From March 8 to May 31
Milwaukee (Feb. 15, 2019) – The Warehouse exhibition space in the Menomonee Valley’s Design District announced On Belonging, an exhibition exploring themes of identity, race, and history will run March 8 through May 31.
On Belonging is the culmination of collaborations started in June of 2017 between two nationally recognized artists – photographer Lois Bielefeld and interdisciplinary artist Nirmal Raja. Bielefeld is a Milwaukee native, and Chennai-born Raja has lived in Milwaukee for 27 years. Products of their two collaborations, which will both be exhibited at The Warehouse, explore different perspectives on the city they live in.
A public opening reception for On Belonging takes place from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Friday March 8. The related performance installation, Moving Archive – What is Remembered, is set for 7 p.m. Saturday March 9. Both events are free and open to the public. Attending the performance requires a reservation, which can be made at Eventbrite.com.
One body of work explores the visual understanding of race and place. They examine Milwaukee’s complex historical, economic, ethnic, racial, and religious spaces. The result is a creative, complex portrait of Milwaukee.
In their second body of work, history is visualized as a membrane that connects, divides, filters and binds through the use of performance-based photography, and video installation along with an ongoing audio archive. Throughout they ask: what is our relationship to history? What does it mean to belong? What does it mean to be American?
In conjunction with this exhibition, the performance installation The Moving Archive – What is Remembered will take place at 7 p.m. March 9. Choreographed and co-directed by Maria Gillespie, the performance will intersect with the On Belonging installation and feature composer and cellist Janet Schiff with performers Maria Gillespie, Chanteé Kelly, and Joelle Worm.
Information on making appointments to view the On Belonging exhibit can be found at www.thewarehousemke.org/visit. There is no charge to visit The Warehouse.
Reservations for the performance Moving Archive – What Is Remembered can be made here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/on-belonging-the-moving-archive-what-is-remembered-tickets-56343785780
More information can be found at the artists’ websites:
https://www.loisbielefeld.com/
http://www.nirmalraja.com/
The ongoing audio archive can be accessed here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-839451300