Karice Mitchell, II and III, from the Will to adorn series, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist. Photo: Dennis Ha
Karice Mitchell, IV, from the Will to adorn series, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist. Photo: Dennis Ha.
Karice Mitchell, I, from the Will to adorn series, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist. Photo: Dennis Ha.
Installation view of Karice Mitchell’s becoming and unbecoming (working title), 2023, at The Polygon Gallery. Photo: Dennis Ha.
Karice Mitchell, I, from the Will to adorn series, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist.
Karice Mitchell, II, from the Will to adorn series, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist.
Karice Mitchell, III, from the Will to adorn series, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist.
Karice Mitchell, IV, from the Will to adorn series, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist.
Karice Mitchell, becoming and unbecoming (working title), 2023. Courtesy of the Artist.
Will to adorn
becoming and unbecoming (working title), 2023
On view from March 21 – July 14
Sited on one billboard facing Cates Deck at The Polygon Gallery, North Vancouver
I, 2024
On view March 29 – April 28
Sited on one billboard at E Cordova St and Campbell Ave, Vancouver
II, III
On view from March 8 – April 28
Sited on two billboards at Davie St and Bute St, Vancouver
IV
On view from March 8 – April 28
Sited on one billboard at Yukon St and W 8th Ave, Vancouver
Luxuriously feminine: black skin, white pearls, nails with polish, and satin in red and black. Karice Mitchell is a photo-based installation artist who uses found images from vintage Black erotica to further empower herself alongside Black femmes and lessen the omnipresence of White supremacy. Blending several visual methods such as cropping, reshooting, scanning, and distorting analogue and digital images, Mitchell leans into the possibilities of glitches – technology’s failure to fulfill its intended function – to highlight alternative ways of being. Mitchell pushes the boundaries of the photographic medium by exploring the interplay between visibility as a celebration and obscurity as a protective “iykyk” politic.
Originally commissioned as Capture’s 2024 signature public art project, Mitchell’s proposed image was denied without the possibility of resubmission. Working with Mitchell, we reconceptualized this project so that one image became a larger body of work, creating an omnipresence of Black femme existence.
Across platforms traditionally used for advertising, Will to adorn complicates the language of capitalism. Through the iconography of satin, acrylic nails, and pearls, Mitchell reaffirms that adornment on the Black body is not frivolous nor tasteless, but is power and presence. In this suite of photographs, she poses as both author and subject. At this monumental scale, we witness and hold in reverence the self-care, individual expression, culture, and joy inspired by and for Black femmes.
Presented in partnership with The Polygon and generously supported by Pattison Outdoor Billboards and Bruce Munro Wright.