Performance: Black Breath Spectacle by Charles Campbell

Black Breath Spectacle turns the simple act of breathing into a response to the poor representation of Black people in our art institutions and a meditation on our collective power and vulnerability.

“We’ll be bringing our breath and that of our elders and ancestors into the gallery, and, in a subtle but powerful way, make our presence felt,” says Charles Campbell, the artist behind the intervention. “More importantly we’re making space to share our collective gifts and experiences.”

This performance will take place in locations throughout the Vancouver Art Gallery beginning at 7 PM on Friday, November 26, before culminating around Campbell’s installation Tree: Finding Accompong (2021) in the exhibition Vancouver Special: Disorientations and Echo on the second floor.

The artist would like to give special thanks to CFUV Radio in Victoria and Solid State in Vancouver for their support of this project through the provision of studio space and recording equipment.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Born in Jamaica, multidisciplinary artist Charles Campbell has exhibited worldwide, often using interventions and performances to explore aspects of Black history, particularly those connected to the Caribbean. Campbell, a former chief curator of the National Gallery of Jamaica, is now based in Victoria, where he also finds time to work for change in Canadian art institutions as an educator, writer and organizer.