Concentrations 64: Ja’Tovia Gary, I KNOW IT WAS THE BLOOD brings together five artworks and related ephemera created by the Dallas-native filmmaker and visual artist over the past three years. Showcasing glowing neon script, a newly commissioned sculpture, film sourced from the artist’s family archives, and paintings, this multimedia installation is an evocative memoir that celebrates the power of ancestral knowledge.
Ja’Tovia Gary’s interdisciplinary practice uses film, installation, and language via a Black feminist subjective lens to challenge the supposed neutrality of archival sources and the historical record. Often employing intimate and politically charged subject matter, her work subverts the dominant narratives found in mainstream storytelling and visual culture.