Opening: Saturday, September 28, 2024 | 1pm – 4pm
On View: September 28 – October 13, 2024 | Fridays – Sundays 11am – 5pm
Location: RU House at Colonels Row, Building #404B on Governors Island
Ferry information | Video directions | Map to RU House
Survive and Reclaim brings together the works of Voices of Multiplicity (VoM) III Artists in residence Dennis RedMoon Darkeem, Tanika I. Williams, and Immanuel Oni as they delve into interconnected themes of survival, healing, and transformation within site-specific contexts. Informed by research around Governors Island and their broader artistic practices, each artist reflects on how communities navigate adversity, reimagine spaces, and reclaim narratives.
Survive and Reclaim speaks to how we confront the intersection of structural and systemic injustice, local cultural histories, and contemporary ecological insights. This year’s VoM artists emphasize the importance of acknowledgment, remembrance, and collective action—transforming spaces and histories rather than merely preserving them. By engaging different mediums, the artists inspire a renewed perception of our shared environments, cultivating a deeper connection to the land and a commitment to both past generations and those yet to come.
Artist Dennis RedMoon Darkeem presents his participatory project Surviving and Thriving, which explores how the act of transforming everyday found objects through a collaborative art process can foster a deeper connection between individuals, communities, and the land they inhabit. His work emphasizes resilience, transforming challenges into opportunities for growth. Through a six-session workshop, Darkeem invites participants to engage in storytelling, environmental connection, and art-making, culminating in a joint mixed-media collage that reflects personal stories, collective ideas, and how shared connections to the land are formed. In the exhibition, Darkeem displays the work he and the community developed. His practice reveals how survival leads to thriving when individuals come together to reclaim space through creativity, reflecting on the themes of personal and communal transformation.
Tanika I. Williams explores themes of interconnectedness in her series of performances, A Ceremony for the Trees | Chestnut, Hickory, and Oak. Using the trees on Governors Island as both metaphor and subject, Williams reflects on how survival, coexistence, and rebirth parallel natural ecosystems. Trees serve as symbols of resilience—physically strong yet socially interconnected, with deep-rooted networks that sustain both themselves and their surroundings. Williams’ performances reveal how human societies mirror these ecosystems, addressing the history of trees on Governors Island and their significance, from colonization to environmental changes, and bringing forth their collective survival and rebirth. Her reflections on birth, transformation, and the chaos required to rearrange life’s components bring an organic and cyclical perspective that mirrors processes found in nature. Her collaborations with other artists in her performances underscore the importance of community in artistic practice and reflect the cyclical nature of influence and inspiration that guides her work. Click here for the program webpage with RSVP links.
Immanuel Oni presents Beyond Memorial Sacred Sites IV, an extension of his Beyond Memorial project, an art and healing response to the invisible yet palpable scars left in spaces after gun violence and loss. This immersive, site-specific work transforms the VoM studio on Governors Island into a confluence of memorial sites across New York City, inviting communities to see beyond trauma and reclaim spaces for healing and liberation. Incorporating light, sound, and visual elements from memorial sites in Bushwick and Brownsville, Oni brings these environments into conversation with Governors Island’s site. Through architectural interventions such as light filters and motion-sensor audio, the installation serves as a repository of collective memory, addressing the fear of loss while offering a renewed sense of place. The exhibition becomes a journey through sacred spaces that transcend fear, with the aim of inspiring collective action and reclaiming spaces in communities for healing and renewal.
Through their unique perspectives and practices, each of these artists confronts the idea of reclaiming space—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. They highlight the importance of creating bonds and forging community through artistic intervention, escaping the isolation inherent in the themes they explore by inviting collective engagement. The force of the collective lies at the heart of their work. The island, once a place of isolation, becomes a vessel for shared creation, where the force of the collective allows us to reconnect, heal, and transform. The work of these social practice artists anchored in site, enables artistic expression to become a tool for civic activism and ecosophy. Inspired by the resilience of nature and the interconnectedness of life, the VoM III artists reflect on survival and collectivity as essential forces shaping our shared environments, inviting viewers to contemplate how we can collectively thrive and transform.
Curated by Davina Bisaria & Yuna Cabon.
The exhibit Survive and Reclaim serves as a culmination of the Voices of Multiplicity (VoM) residency on Governors Island, where the unique environment profoundly shaped the evolution of the artists’ practices. Immersed in the island’s rich ecological and cultural history, the VoM artists each drew from the landscape to deepen their exploration of commemoration, healing, and transformation. This residency allowed them to merge their individual social practices with a heightened awareness of site, creating works that not only reflect personal and communal narratives but also advocate for eco justice.
Separately and together, the artists navigate the balance between personal narratives and collective storytelling to foster community identities intrinsic to their practice. This evolution marks a broadening of the eco-justice focus as a catalyst for personal healing and collective transformation.
Indigenous leader Shawn Wilson reminds us of our interconnectedness and interdependence with the land as the holding space of our knowledge.¹ The VoM residency provides an evolving platform where the artists can engage with systemic challenges while fostering a practice rooted in relationality, reclamation and resilience.
VoM Founder Ayelet Danielle Aldouby
¹ Wilson, S. (2008). Research is ceremony: Indigenous research methods. Fernwood Publishing.
About
Dennis RedMoon Darkeem is one of the selected artists for the 2024 Voices of Multiplicity (VoM) III Artist Residency Program. Dennis RedMoon Darkeem is an American artist and educator of Black and Yat’siminoli Creek- Seminole background, whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, sculpture, installation, and performance art. Born in the Bronx, New York, Darkeem has rooted his artistic inquiry in the exploration of his Black/ Native American heritage, personal narratives, and the broader themes of social and environmental justice.
Darkeem’s work often reflects on his experiences growing up in an urban environment and the juxtaposition of his indigenous cultural heritage within that context. He employs a variety of materials and techniques, ranging from traditional Indigenous crafts to contemporary art forms, creating pieces that are both deeply personal and universally resonant. His art serves as a bridge between past and present, aiming to foster dialogue around issues of identity, community, and the impact of societal structures on the individual and the environment.
Throughout his career, Darkeem has been actively involved in community-based projects and education, using art as a tool for engagement and empowerment. He has worked with numerous organizations, schools, and cultural institutions, facilitating workshops, art programs, and exhibitions that encourage participants to explore their own identities and experiences through creative expression.
Dennis RedMoon Darkeem’s contributions to the arts extend beyond his individual practice, as he is a passionate advocate for the role of art in social change. His work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and public spaces, gaining recognition for its depth, craftsmanship, and commitment to social and environmental themes. Through his art and activism, Darkeem continues to inspire and challenge viewers, promoting a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all peoples and the natural world.
Immanuel Oni is one of the selected artists for the 2024 Voices of Multiplicity (VoM) III Artist Residency Program. Immanuel Oni is a first-generation Nigerian-American artist and space doula living in New York City, originally from Houston, TX. He believes art is not about what he is making but who he is making it for. His work explores loss, liberation, and its deep connection with place. His canvas consists of existing environmental or natural elements, such as light posts or fallen tree bark, which he repurposes to prompt dialogue on ritual, healing, and connection. He aims to fuse the spiritual realm with the physical. He has received awards and residencies from the Laundromat Project, Design Trust for Public Space, Culture Push, NY for Culture and Arts, More Art, AIA Brunner Award, Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY, Institute for Public Architecture, Architectural League, NY State Council of the Arts. He is the commissioned artist for the New York City Chrystie Street African Burial Ground Memorial. He is a former Director of Community Design at the New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice and an Adjunct Professor at Parsons the New School for Design. He holds a Dual Bachelor’s in Science degree in Biology and Psychology from the University of Houston and a Master’s in Architecture degree from Parsons New School of Design. He is the co-founder and Creative Director of Liminal, a non-profit that works at the intersection of art, unity, and space.
Tanika I. Williams is one of the selected artists for the 2024 Voices of Multiplicity (VoM) III Artist Residency Program. Tanika I. Williams (b. St. Andrew, Jamaica; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) is an award-winning filmmaker and performance artist. She investigates women’s use of movement, mothering, and medicine to produce and pass on the ancestral wisdom of ecology, spirituality, and liberation. Williams holds a BA from Eugene Lang College, New School, and an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary. Her films have been screened in national and international festivals and broadcast on American television. Williams has been awarded fellowships and residencies at NYU Tisch School, New York Foundation for the Arts, Hi-ARTS, Cow House Studios, MORE Art, and BRIC. Her additional awards and appearances include En Foco Media Arts Fund, 99.5 WBAI, Art in Odd Places, Creative Time, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, Civic Art Lab, GreenspaceNYC, Let Us Eat Local, Just Food, and Performa.
Ayelet Danielle Aldouby is a public art and social practice curator operating at the intersection of art, education, and wellness. She is dedicated to enabling access to resources and dismantling barriers to entry into the art world. Ayelet founded the Voices of Multiplicity (VoM) residency program at RU, centered on wellness and eco-justice. VoM, in collaboration with the Brooklyn Public Library, launched the ARTmobile, a mobile artists’ residency awarded the 2023 BPL Incubator grant.
Ayelet served as the lead curator for IDEASxLab (2013-2018), cultivating artists as agents of change under an NEA grant with RU, and co-founded Artea Projects, supporting public art for RE: CONSTRUCTION multi-year project commissioned by the Alliance for Downtown NY and the MTA (2008-2013). Her curatorial experience spans the Venice Biennales, Macy Gallery at Columbia University, 92Y, and the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, D.C. Her upcoming exhibit is “Nad-Ned – Crochet Passages” at the ZaZ gallery in Times Square.
Ayelet holds a doctorate in Art & Art Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College and as an adjunct professor teaches there The Arts & Community Engagement. Her research explores the Ethics of Care in Collaborative Arts Practices with a focus on Transformational Learning and reflective processes. She is a 2023 Humanities New York Public Humanities Fellow. Previously she served as the president of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) Community Art Caucus (CAC).
Her published works on art and social justice include; “Creative Discomfort” in the International Transformative Learning publication (2024); Dominique Paul: “The Artistic Practice as Geography of the Heart”, in the catalog Silent Spring: Becoming Bird (2023); “The Creative Listening Workshop”: Transformational Learning publication (2022); “Then and Now – a Harlem Renaissance curriculum guide” with the Wallach Gallery at Columbia University (2021); “Natchez: Inclusion and Soaps in Concinnitas”: The Journal of the Institute of Arts /University of Rio de Janeiro (2020) and “Seeing the Unseen” in Trends – Texas Art Education Journal (2019).
About the Curators
Davina Bisaria is the Program Coordinator for the VoM III 2024 residency. She holds a Master’s in Visual Arts Administration from New York University and a Bachelor’s in Art History and Sociology from Binghamton University. As an art advisor for a New York City public institution and an independent curator, Davina has cultivated a diverse range of expertise in the arts. Her previous roles include a curatorial internship at The Morgan Library and a position as an art teacher within the New York Public Library system. Deeply committed to expanding the role of artists, Davina focuses on equipping them with the tools necessary to become effective social practitioners.
Yuna Cabon is an independent curator with a background in visual arts administration, international development, and project management. She holds an MA in Visual Arts Administration from NYU Steinhardt and a BA in International Development from King’s College London. Her diverse education shapes her curatorial practice, which focuses on fostering shared knowledge, coexistence within natural and human environments, and exploring societal structures.
Yuna is committed to creating spaces where art inspires reflection, hope, and cultural dialogue. She has a passion for enhancing community engagement through collaborative educational and artistic programs. Her experience spans roles at institutions like Art Explora Foundation in Paris and Beirut Art Center. Currently, Yuna works with the VoM @ARTmobile project, a community-driven mobile art initiative with the Brooklyn Public Library and Residency Unlimited, aimed at amplifying diverse voices through workshops and exhibitions.
The 2024 VoM III Artist Residency Program is supported by The Brooklyn Public library (BPL) and the Roman Foundation.
RU is grateful for the partnership with Governors Island Arts.
