Weaver

Featured Artist: Ian Weaver

Artist Statement

My work utilizes a variety of media (such as Printmedia, drawing/collage, assemblage, sculpture, installation and film) which act as metaphors for "fracture". I am interested in how we - as individuals and communities - construct our own identities and memories from the fractured, disparate elements of our lives. We do this through our commemorations and the objects we construct and archive.

My current project centers on the Near West Side of Chicago, a large multi-ethnic community, and specifically the "Black Bottom" section of the Near West Side where black residents once lived. The various parts of the Near West Side and the Bottom were destroyed to construct an expressway and a university; as a result, the community lost much of its history. Over the last several years, I have been constructing a fictive history for this community (utilizing a variety of faux elements: handmade museum vitrines, maps and documents of the community; various faux sculptures; installation and audio components). These works make use of collage, assemblage, partially revealed narratives and histories, and purposefully missing information to emphasize this concept of fracture. Recently, I have also extended this construction to the creation of a fictional group, the Black Knights - part medieval knights, part Black Nationalists - who have, ostensibly, lived within the "Black Bottom" community, circa 1940s. The Black Knights have used political, social, and guerrilla tactics to fight for the survival of the community. Their story will be told through a series of exhibition "chapters", in an attempt to slow down the manner in which I present the Black Knight narrative, by compartmentalizing the history of the Black Knights. The first chapter was titled, "The Black Knights' Archive, Chapter One: Migration", which was installed at the Chicago Cultural Center in early 2016. The first chapter of this series has focused on migration, as most creation myths begin with water and travel. The works I have submitted are the faux "artifacts" of the Black Knights', and are part of the larger project to create an archive for this group.

The Black Knights, a fictional group I have created, lived in and fought for the Black Bottom community of the Near West Side of Chicago, battling the displacement of gentrification. I have used fiction to create a narrative that tells a "what if" of a strong, pro-black, entity that fought for the existence of the community. Fiction allows me the freedom to explore ideas and concepts I could not otherwise. This installation is the first chapter is the larger "novel" of the Black Knights' saga.

Website: www.ianweaverartist.com