Deanna Bowen

This black-on-black book brings together over 20 years of Deanna Bowen’s commitment to the excavation and recontextualization of colonial legacies-particularly those which implicate her family history and the Black diaspora in North America-making her artworks vital, both in Canada and abroad. Working primarily with photography-both rediscovered and new, but also video, documentary film, sound, performance, publishing, found objects and installation art - Bowen introduces us to a re-reading of white historic and archival facts.

From its early roots in experimental documentary to constellations of found imagery, Bowen’s practice has articulated how the familial histories of Black folks-histories often relegated to the margins - illuminate the official record. When she re-contextualizes previously published images in her projects, or revives discarded negatives, Bowen is hyper-aware of W.E.B. Du Bois’ concept of double consciousness -the notion that to be Black is to live with the conflict of seeing yourself represented by White authors while profoundly recognizing the limits of such representation. - Crystal Mowry

Co-published with Scotiabank Photography Award, Toronto