“all water has a perfect memory.” An exhibition of works by Fleesie Hubbard, Jamilla Okubo, and Jessica Whittingham, curated by Teri Henderson.

Please join us for the opening reception on Friday, September 6th from 7-10pm!

Exhibit Runs: September 6 – October 11, 2024
Opening Reception: September 6, 7-10pm
Closing Reception: October 11, 6-9pm
Gallery Hours: Saturdays 1-5pm, by appointment, & whenever we’re open (check out the show anytime you’re here)!

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“All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was. Writers are like that: remembering where we were, what valley we ran through, what the banks were like, the light that was there, and the route back to our original place.”
– Toni Morrison From a talk given at the New York Public Library in 1986

As an elemental force shaping landscapes and lives, water holds a profound resonance within the Black diaspora. It is a vessel for transformation, a mirror reflecting cultural heritage, and a conduit for spiritual connection. all water has a Perfect Memory invites viewers to immerse themselves in the work of three female artists—Fleesie Hubbard, Jessica Whittingham, and Jamilla Okubo—as they explore the multifaceted nature of water as a vehicle through photography, collage, and painting.

Rooted in the shared histories of the diaspora from Baltimore to the Bahamas, this exhibition traces the indelible mark of water as a vehicle for Black communities. From the Chesapeake Bay to the Caribbean Sea, these bodies of water have been lifelines, sources of sustenance, and sites of cultural exchange. The artists in this exhibition offer unique perspectives on this shared heritage, transforming personal experiences into evocative visual narratives.

The exhibition of works also explores the deeply resonated spiritual qualities embedded in water: water as a healing balm, water as a channel, and water as a direct connection to the Divine. Photographer Fleesie Hubbard’s images were taken worldwide, and many of the images on display were made in Africa during her travels as a research scientist. Her work invites viewers to witness the power and beauty of natural landscapes and human connection. Jessica Whittingham employs collage to create vibrant and layered works that reflect the spirit of the Bahamas. Her pieces blend personal memories with cultural symbolism, exploring the
interconnectedness of water, land, and people. Jamilla Okubo offers a contemporary vision of water through her paintings and video installation. Her work delves into this essential element’s emotional and spiritual dimensions, inviting
contemplation on themes of identity, memory, and transformation.

Together, these artists illuminate the transformative power of water, revealing its capacity to inspire, heal, and connect and its role as a site for memory and rememory.

All water has a perfect memory invites viewers to examine their physical and emotional journeys on this planet, as well as their connection to water as an essential element, and its enduring significance within the Black experience. The exhibition presents a group of works that elegantly reflect the multiplicity of Black life.

About the artists:

Jessica Whittingham
https://www.jessicawhittinghamart.com

Jamilla Okubo
https://www.jamillaokubo.co

Fleesie Hubbard

Jamilla Okubo
Jamilla Okubo is an interdisciplinary artist exploring the intricacies of belonging to an American, Kenyan, and Trinidadian identity. Through combining figurative painting, pattern design, and fashion, Jamilla Okubo(b. Clinton, NC) uses the body as both a narrative instrument and primary
tool of communication. Her layered experience as a North Carolina-born, Washington, D.C. bred, being a daughter of the Diaspora informs her practice, as does her background in Fashion and Design, which she began exploring at Parsons School of Design where she received her BFA. She is deliberate and articulate in her compositions referring to an emotional language, influenced by memories, lived experience, and the desire to stage the figures in meaningful
moments to evoke a sense of nostalgia and intimate recollection of memory. The development of Okubo’s work has grown gradually out of an unparalleled devotion to color, the black figure, and space, and the creation of harmony.
Okubo has participated in various group exhibitions, most recently at The House of Fine Arts in London, The Southampton Arts Center, and Mehari Sequar Gallery. She has created art installations for Culture Corp x Hudson Yards (NY), and the Line Hotel. In addition, her work has been reproduced for publications and purchased for private collections. Notable publications of her work have appeared on the covers of An American Marriage, Tayari Jones (Oneworld UK Publishing House), Moses, Man of the Mountain, Zora Neal Hurston, Harlem Renaissance Series (Penguin UK Publishing House), and Den Omättliga Vägen, Ben Okri (Modernista Group AB). She has collaborated with Christian Dior, Spotify, and Gorman.

Jessica Whittingham
Jessica strives to create collages with a common theme, emphasizing Black beauty. Through my work, I aim to show the beauty of Black people with the use of whimsical scenes, nature, gold accents, and vibrant colors and patterns contrasting black and white photos. My main muses are old images of Bahamians that depict them engaged in everyday activities and contributing to the industries that have put the Bahamas on the map. This is to show my people how beautiful we are and always have been, but I believe they can also speak to Black people globally about how uniquely beautiful we are. My work aims to highlight old Bahamas in a way that diverts from colonialism and shines a light on the people who are the foundation of modern Bahamas.

About the curator, Teri Henderson
Teri Henderson (b. Fort Worth, TX, 1990) is a Baltimore-based independent curator, Baltimore Beat’s Arts and Culture Editor, and the author of Black Collagists: The Book. Henderson holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas Christian University. She formerly had a curatorial internship at Ghost Gallery in Seattle, Washington.

In 2020 Henderson started an Instagram account called @blackcollagists. This platform features the work of emerging and established collage artists to raise awareness about the history of Black collage art. Black Collagists: The Book, published in 2021, is a physical record of her research. Henderson focuses her work as a writer and curator on Black artists and creatives.

In 2024, she served as a consulting curator for the acclaimed exhibition “New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Her expertise was also recognized by the Baltimore Museum of Art, where she served as a jury member for the 2023 exhibition “Histories Collide: Jackie Milad x Fred Wilson x Nekisha Durrett.”
In addition to her curatorial work, she is a contributing editor for Plastikcomb Magazine and her writing has appeared in numerous publications including the Washington Post, Artforum, BmoreArt, Justsmile Magazine, Kinfolk Travel, and the St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture.