Very little appears to be happening in some of Jamilah Abdul-Saburs imagery, and perhaps that is precisely her message. For her project, opening tonight at 6:00 at Diaspora Vibe Gallery, the young artist documented people as they navigated down-at-the-heels sections of Baltimore, attempting to focus on the socioeconomic disparities among many of that citys residents. Typically her protagonists find themselves stuck in very bleak spaces. They also seem helpless and unable to escape their dreary surroundings. A man lies on his back in an anonymous interior, his figure outlined by a nimbus of broken glass. A young fellow stands in a hallway, listlessness masking his face. A closeup of a woman frames her against a building full of shattered windows. Abdul-Saburs ... believe, in what? features video, photography, and installation depicting three characters and their interactions within an abandoned Baltimore factory. The gritty exhibit is presented as part of the gallerys new Off the Wall/Experimental Lab Series organized to engage audiences in nontraditional ways. Call 305-573-4046, or visit www.diasporavibe.net.
Fri., Aug. 4