tide/tithe: Work by Alexandria Eregbu & Rami George

A body (of water) does not have to be still or contained.

For tide/tithe Alexandria Eregbu and Rami George navigate cultural influence and heritage, while considering what that might mean in a current climate of political unrest. Eregbu traces her Black American and Nigerian ancestry through sculpture and installation, often utilizing mythology as strategy. For George, the record of Arabness (and possible queerness embodied within that) manifests through video and found imagery.

While both of these projects are steeped in personal histories and narratives, together they also attempt to extract from these sites to generate something new – to extend a conversation. The personal may be political, but so too the political is personal.

Alexandria Eregbu is a conceptual artist and disciplinary deviant. Her practice often takes shape in the form of maker, performer, curator, educator, and programmer. Eregbu has been featured in a range of exhibitions including the Arts Incubator in Washington Park, Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, IL; Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee, WI; Distillery Gallery in Boston, MA; and Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, NY. She was a recipient of the Propeller Fund Grant (2013), the DCASE IAP Grant (2015) and has held numerous fellowships as both curator and artist. Most recently Eregbu was highlighted in Newcity’s Breakout Artists: Chicago’s Next Generation of Image Makers (2015). Eregbu is a current Resident Artist and Curatorial Fellow with ACRE. She received her BFA from the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago.

Rami George is an interdisciplinary artist, primarily working in photo, video, and installations. Completing their BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, they have exhibited and screened internationally. Recent exhibitions include: MIX NYC, SOMArts, Slow, Forever & Always, Gallery 400, and Hyde Park Art Center. They continue to be influenced and motivated by political struggles and missing narratives.