New Drexciya-inspired exhibition opens in Washington, D.C.

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  • From the Deep: In the Wake of Drexciya with Ayana V. Jackson is showing at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art until April 2024.
  • New Drexciya-inspired exhibition opens in Washington, D.C. image
  • A new art exhibition influenced by Drexciya is now open at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. On show until April 2024, From the Deep: In the Wake of Drexciya with Ayana V. Jackson displays videos and animations based on the mythical Detroit duo, whose identity is entwined with nautical Afrofuturism. The exhibition is the solo museum debut of New Jersey artist Ayana V. Jackson. The liner notes of 1997's The Quest LP revealed Drexciya as an underwater country occupied by the unborn children of pregnant women who died during the transatlantic slave trade. Jackson uses her own body to tell the story, asking viewers to acknowledge its tragedy while simultaneously empowering women. Learn more about the exhibition, and revisit our video essay on why Drexciya took Detroit electro underwater.
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