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How the spirit shows up
Rashid Zakat and the Uses of the Ironic
John Morrison
Uses of the Ironic is the new solo exhibit from Philadelphia-based, multi-media artist, Rashid Zakat. The exhibit has been hosted in the gallery at Asian Arts Initiative since October 4 (and through December 14, 2024), inviting us into a world fueled by Zakat’s distinct visual style and off-kilter sense of humor. Named in reference to Audre Lorde’s essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power”, Zakat takes Lorde’s meditation on sexual power and transposes it into a metaphor for Black joy.
Black aliveness
Born in Baltimore, Zakat came to Philadelphia to attend Temple University and has since been a fixture in multiple arteries of the city’s art scene. In film, Zakat’s worked as a cinematographer for local films like M. Alsi Dukan’s afro-futurist epic, Resistance: The Battle of Philadelphia. As a DJ, his sets are soulful and colorful with his party/stream Revival! combining music and film to create a vivid, multi-sensory experience. In the spirit of Zakat’s interdisciplinary practice, Uses of the Ironic employs film, digital ink prints, and an LED installation. Curated by Maori Karmael Holmes of Black Star Film Festival and Joyce Chung of AAI, an underlying theme of the show is Zakat’s idea of “Black Aliveness” or the way that living Black folks embody joy, culture, and creativity. In an interview for BSR, Zakat talked about aliveness as a conceptual underpinning of the exhibit and how his childhood in church inspires his work.
“I grew up in the church. My mom was a head musician in our church, she plays piano. I wish I’d inherited her talent, but I grew up watching people catch a holy spirit. Watching people with walkers, jump up in the air, and do a lap around the church, that was common practice. I've
been fascinated with this idea of the Holy Spirit my whole life and that liveness was like watching the fullest, loudest version of yourself.”
The spiritual and cultural syncretism of the church shows up in multiple pieces is Uses of the Ironic. “My Mom was a superhero, but we still had to go to church” is a gorgeous digital ion print paper piece that depicts a Zakat as a young boy dressed in his Sunday best. His mother stands above him, dressed in an Ironman-style suit, casting the matriarch as a Tony Stark-like figure and reminding us that even superheroes need spiritual reinforcement. Pieces like “Better Call Saul Williams” and “Black Jobs” (a depiction of Steve Jobs as a Black man) display Zakat’s bizarre humor. Punny, funny, vibrant, and irreverent, Uses of the Ironic showcases one of the city’s finest creative voices.
The exhibit runs through December 14, 2024. A live performance of Revival!, a video installation in the exhibit, happens on Saturday, November 23 at 6pm.
What, When, Where
Uses of the Ironic. By Rashid Zakat. October 4 through December 14, 2024, at Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia. Free. (215) 557-0455 or asianartsinitiative.com.
Uses of the Ironic: Revival! Performance and Curator Talk with Joyce Chung and Maori Karmael Holmes. Saturday, November 23, 6-8pm at Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia. Pay what you wish. (215) 557-0455 or asianartsinitiative.org.
Accessibility
Asian Arts Initiative is designed as a mobility accessible facility, with access to all public floors and spaces, and seating accommodations for programmed events. Both non-gendered and individually isolating restrooms are available on each floor, all equipped with changing stations. If contacted in advance, we will make every attempt to fulfill requests for reasonable accommodations such as access to assistive technology devices and materials in alternative formats.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
Featured image: Uses of the Ironic runs through December at Asian Arts. (Image courtesy of Rashid Zakat.)
Image description: Portrait of Zakat. Several TVs with screens splashed with color cover his face. Wears a shirt that says Uses of The Ironic
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