Antebellum Appropriations

Through large-scale oil paintings, Lili Bernard reconfigures the art historical canon by turning classical European paintings into slave narratives in her series, Antebellum Appropriations. Bernard’s work exposes the post-colonial paradigm of suffering and resilience, through a collision of cruelty against compassion. The generational struggle of her Afro-Cuban immigrant family and Caribbean ancestors, coupled with her personal experiences as a rape  survivor, informs Bernard’s visual exploration of the impact of trauma and the unconquerable nature of the  human spirit.

‍Lili Bernard is a Cuban-born, Los Angeles-based visual artist and actor. Primarily a painter, she has  exhibited her artwork in numerous galleries and institutions. An arts activist and independent curator, Lili is the  founder and organizer of the movement, BAILA (Black Artists in Los Angeles). Lili received her MFA at Otis College  of Art and Design, in the Public Practice Program, under the tutelage of Suzanne Lacy. Married to civil rights  attorney, Franklin L. Ferguson, Jr., Lili gave birth to six children in a ten year span: Rafael, Isaiah, Elias, Uriel,  Joshua & Zion.

‍Reception & Artist Talk     6:30-8pm     Thursday, May 18, 2017

‍MoAD Emerging Artists is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum & Library Services.