Diedrick Brackens Presents "Darling Divined" @ New Museum In New York

Diedrick Brackens constructs intricately woven textiles that speak to the complexities of black and queer identity in the United States. Interlacing diverse traditions, including West African weaving, European tapestries, and quilting from the American south, Brackens creates cosmographic abstractions and figurative narratives that lyrically merge lived experience, commemoration, and allegory. He uses both commercial dyes and unconventional colorants such as wine, tea, and bleach, and foregrounds the loaded symbolism of materials like cotton, with its links to the transatlantic slave trade.

Darling Divined is on view through September 15 at the New Museum 235 Bowery, New York. photographs courtesy of the gallery

Black Lives Matter: See Our Photographic Essay of the Freddie Gray Protests in New York City

After news emerged that Freddie Gray, Jr. had broken his spine and died while in the custody of police officers – a literal straw that broke the camel's back after countless public deaths of unarmed black men and women at the hands of authorities – riots and protests erupted in Baltimore; it soon spread to New York City. Mike Krim of subversive, cult publishing imprint Paperwork NYC and model Alex Papa grabbed their cameras and found themselves in the center of the action. "Alex Papa and I decided to grab some film and join in. Not knowing what to expect, we jumped in the crowd and started taking photos. That lasted roughly twenty minutes until we found ourselves chanting "No Justice No Peace Fuck The Police" and fully engaged in the protest, which took over city blocks and highways. As voices echoed loudly, we ran to fill in gaps, walking interlinked to shut down intersections, and marched forward. At times losing people to small pockets of raw emotion that took place. I'm not sure what the exact term of "peaceful assembly" is but I feel it was accomplished last night. Was anything achieved besides screwing up all the traffic in NYC? I'm not sure. I will tell you one thing, though, it felt fucking awesome approaching Times Square with that many people and taking over what some call the center of the universe." Click here to see the full photographic essay