Of Survival, Celebration, and Unlimited Semiosis DACHI COLE, TOMMY HARTUNG, DIAMOND STINGLY, , ALIMA LEE

Curated by Brook Sinkinson Withrow May 23 - July 6, 2019

… those who fail to reread are obliged to read the same story everywhere … [Barthes]

What does this paradoxical statement imply? First, it implies that a single reading is composed of the already-read, that what we can see in a text the first time is already in us, not in it; in us insofar as we ourselves are a stereotype, an already-read text; and in the text only to the extent that the already read is that aspect of a text that it must have in common with its reader in order for it to be readable at all. When we read a text once, in other words, we can see in it only what we have already learned to see before. – Barbara Johnson, The Critical Difference

from “Of Survival, Celebration, and Unlimited Semiosis,” Neveryóna, Samuel Delaney

Crows deliver treasures to all the little black girls. Pearls spill out of their claws and beaks as their flights draw close to their kin. Here, the girls are special ones. When their mothers are pregnant their aunties make dolls, so tender with anticipation sometimes that they fashion the dolls two-headed to contain all their love. Crows confer divinity with their gifts. Dolls hold guard, steadfast. Ancestors are more than sensations stored in blood. They wrap you in a safe caul as you drift off to dream away trouble. Eyes closed, sleeping deeply, you collaborate with enemies as you confront them. Processing, you conquer on another plane of consciousness. Be wary. Something in the sky isn’t a crow. Can you fight on your own? As you are? Dolls hold guard, be steadfast now. Armor on, keep secrets safe.

– Brook Sinkinson Withrow

Freedman Fitzpatrick, LA Freedman Fitzpatrick, Paris 6051 Hollywood Blvd, #107 8 Rue Saint-Bon Los Angeles, CA 90028 75004 Paris +1 323 723 2785 +33 977 219 991 Of Survival, Celebration, and Unlimited Semiosis DACHI COLE, TOMMY HARTUNG, DIAMOND STINGLY, KYP MALONE, ALIMA LEE

Curated by Brook Sinkinson Withrow May 23 - July 6, 2019

Dachi Cole (b. in Maryland) lives and works in New York and Los Angeles. Game birds feathering their nest while two nature spirits dance under the moonlight.

Tommy Hartung (b. 1979 in Akron, Ohio) lives and works in New York. Tommy has exhibited at Museums throughout the United States, including The Whitney Biennial 2017; The Rose Museum, Waltham MA; The Jewish Museum, New York, NY and MoMa PS1, Queens, New York.

Alima Lee (b. in New York) based in Los Angeles. Alima is a filmmaker, designer, artist, curator, and DJ. She is Co-Founder and Art Director of Akashik Records music label, and Co-Host of a monthly show, „RhythmDeep“ on NTS Radio. Her film work has been presented recently at MOCA, Los Angeles; Smithsonian African American Museum; Gavin Brown‘s Enterprise, New York; and ICA Boston.

Kyp Malone (b. 1973 in Moon, Pennsylvania) lives and works in New York. Kyp is a multi-disciplinary artist working in painting, animation, and music. Over his 20 year career he has collaborated with many artists including, recently, with Estonian artist Kris Lemsalu, for Performa 2017. He has also worked with Tinariwen, , and is contributing member of TV On The Radio.

Diamond Stingily (b. 1990 in Chicago, Illinois) lives and works in New York. Dia- mond has presented solo exhibitions at CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; and a forthcoming exhibition at Kunstverein München, Munich. Group exhibitions include Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin and the surveys 2018 Triennial: Songs of Sabotage and Trigger: Gender As A Tool and a Weapon at the New Museum, New York.

Brook Sinkinson Withrow (b. 1990 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico) lives and works in Los Angeles. Brook is a writer and filmmaker with a curatorial and editorial practice, including co-directing a project space in Chicago called Forever & Always, and acting as a member of the editorial staff of Contemporary Art Group.

Freedman Fitzpatrick, LA Freedman Fitzpatrick, Paris 6051 Hollywood Blvd, #107 8 Rue Saint-Bon Los Angeles, CA 90028 75004 Paris +1 323 723 2785 +33 977 219 991