Tavares Strachan Complicates What it Means to Be a “Pioneer” #ArtTuesday
Tavares Strachan is a multi-media artist who works with light and tech. While the medium is decidedly modern the subject matter is rooted in history. Hayward Gallery is currently exhibiting There Is Light Somewhere, a survey of Strachan’s work.
Throughout There Is Light Somewhere as a whole, the Bahamian artist is interested in telling the stories of unsung people of color who played key roles in crucial events of Euro-American culture, such as the Space Race or Polar exploration. For instance, “Henson” (2012) depicts Matthew Henson, a Black American explorer who may have been the first individual to reach the North Pole, though history credits White American expedition leader Robert Peary. Similarly, a pair of neon works reference Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., the first Black astronaut. Lawrence died after an ejector seat failed; in “Robert” (2018), a floating human form flickers disconcertingly, as if suspended in the infinitesimal moment between life and death.
The exhibition highlights Strachan’s innovative approach to celebrating unsung explorers and cultural pioneers, whose stories have often been overlooked due to bias. In shining a light on these hidden histories, the artist highlights our shared yearning for belonging and recognition.
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