Jemison was inspired to work with bags after noticing them while commuting. “The common denominator for those of us who traveled on the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan every day was that we carried some kind of bag—a plastic bag, a shopping bag, a briefcase, a handbag, a lunch bag.” Recycling paper bags, he painted images referencing nature, personal stories, perceptions of Indigenous peoples in North America, and Haudenosaunee history and art practices like quillwork and beading. These works raise questions like: How are Indigenous peoples thought of in the popular culture of the United States? When are you inspired to transform existing materials into something new?
Gallery label from Just Above Midtown: Changing Spaces, October 09, 2022 – February 18, 2023
