scheherazade washington parrish at m contemporary
Tools of Redaction: Form
“Scheherazade Washington Parrish is a boundary-pushing interdisciplinary artist and creator of Tools of Redaction. This immersive multimedia installation series delves into the intricate interplay of language and context. Her artistic journey intertwines poetry, visual art, and performance, crafting narratives that fearlessly challenge the established trajectory of Western history. Parrish’s compelling vision reimagines historical accounts, placing women, particularly Black women, at their core.”
“You are inside of a poem. Each stanza, through erasure and redaction, unveils fresh narratives centering the voice of the woman, particularly Black woman within the fabric of Western paradigms.” –Scheherazade Washington Parrish
This exhibition is the third installation of the Tools of Redaction series. Parrish is a writer and artist with a background in poetry who studied psychology at Wayne State. This foundational mixture produces a coalescence of literary and visual art where the power of words strengthens through theater of the mind. Prove addresses Original Sin via a common phrasing. She also notes that without struggle there can be no growth, therefore the apple presentation was a necessary challenge for humanity regardless of where society allows the responsibility to fall.
Look at Me deals with objectification and vanity while acknowledging the importance of our bodies as they are the vessels that hold our stories. The sculptural elements grant a tactile dimension lifting the text from its page into the space it occupies.
In the ultimate redaction, Parrish has taken a poem from a 14-foot canvas, broken it apart and rearranged it into the individual works in this exhibition creating a poem within a poem. The reproduction of the original canvas maps verses for the viewer’s reference.
I reviewed a show at DAM where I became enthralled with Parrish’s work. I’m always curious what was censored out as much as the beauty of the words allowed to remain. The greater commentary is human communication, what’s said and what’s left unsaid. Her work further describes a person, or persons, who is depreciated by society. In the Western paradigm, women, and particularly Black women, are often marginalized, ignored, reviled or impugned by even what is considered one of the most sacred texts, the Bible. Parrish repositions passages to offer a considered and inclusive perspective on the contribution of women to society from the notorious Eve to whomever is the last one to turn the lights out on humanity.
On view through October 13th at M Contemporary 205 E 9 Mile, Ferndale
*images courtesy of M Contemporary, CJ Benninger photographer
direct quote from gallery materials
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Wonderful review and agree on all points!