The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art turns 40 this year

On the walls now

Adjacent to Cruz’s installation is a collection of black and white portraits from photographer Joshua Parks. Both are on display until July 26.  

Parks’ exhibit, “Born in We: African Descendants of the Atlantic World,” is an accumulation of photographs taken over the last five years in the Bahamas, Senegal, Gambia, Cuba and the South Carolina Lowcountry, where his family has lived for several generations.

“Family photos and ancestry inspired me,” Parks told The Post and Courier. “This was my way of creating a visual thread from Africa to the Caribbean to the Lowcountry.”

The collection looks at how African descendants relate to each other in ways that transcend defining terms like religion, language, geography and politics.

“Joshua Parks highlights the magnificence of the everyday in his photography,” Lass said. “You can feel Joshua’s warm personality in the ease of those he photographs. He not only snaps a picture, but often engages them in conversation, in a sense, collecting and sharing stories like in the family photo albums that inspire him.”

Working with the Halsey for his first solo museum exhibition was empowering, Parks said, and he received support from the developmental stage to the installation stage.

“Their curators take a lot of time and care to serve the vision of the artists they’re working with so they can be seen how they want to be seen,” he said.

As the only institute of contemporary art in South Carolina, the Halsey is committed to championing emerging, mid-career and overlooked artists, often hosting artists’ first solo exhibitions, Lass said.

“We take pride in serving as a launchpad for creative careers,” she said.

Beyond artist elevation, the Halsey accompanies exhibitions with engaging public programs to stimulate meaningful interactions and deepen understanding of shared histories and experiences.