Samantha Box and Sheida Soleimani are showcasing their artistry in the exhibition “Home/Land” at Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York, curated by environmentalist and photographer Zoraida Lopez-Diago. These two talented artists delve into the themes of movement, colonization, and memory through their thought-provoking pieces.
Samantha Box’s work revolves around the interconnection between plant and human life, drawing inspiration from her Jamaican heritage. In pieces like “Construction #1” (2018), she creates intricate altars featuring fruits like guavas, bananas, and pomegranates – staples of Jamaican cuisine. The vibrant colors and rich contrasts in her photographs, framed with colored glass that casts a warm glow, evoke a sense of ripeness and abundance.
Box’s compositions nod to early Flemish still lifes that romanticized exotic fruits, often associated with colonial luxury. However, Box subverts this narrative by placing herself as the subject, reclaiming agency by consuming these colonial goods. In works like “An Origin” (2020), she highlights the price tags of certain foods, shedding light on the commodification of life and the extraction of resources from colonized lands.
On the other hand, Sheida Soleimani’s artistry explores themes of memory and displacement through her avian works and collaged photographs. In pieces like “Safekeeping” (2023), she captures a chick feeding from a seed, with a torn backdrop revealing snakeskin underneath, hinting at hidden layers of history. Soleimani’s compositions, like “Khooroos named Manoocher” (2021), blend personal memories with larger narratives of migration and escape, creating poignant visual stories.
Together, Box and Soleimani offer alternative landscapes of their diasporic homelands – one through the lens of familial memories and the other through the reimagining of ancestral fruits. Their works invite viewers to reflect on the legacies of colonization, the interconnectedness of all life, and the enduring resilience of displaced communities.
The exhibition “Home/Land” at Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York is a must-see, running until December 21. Curated by Zoraida Lopez-Diago, it presents a compelling dialogue on identity, heritage, and the impact of empire on individuals, plants, and animals. Don’t miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of narratives woven by Box and Soleimani.
