January 3 –February 30, 2024
Golden Belt Gallery, Durham Art Guild

Within Black culture, an unspoken privilege exists where tangible keepsakes have been kept, well maintained, and archived. 

Unfortunately, not every Black household can safely store and protect these treasures. Valuable items, photos, and other memorabilia are often lost, destroyed, or taken away over time, leaving future generations with the task of piecing together our pasts.

A Colorful Family ARTchives is an exhibition that highlights the importance of documentation and celebrates ancestry through a collective experience. In this body of work, artist Delayna Robbins recreates family photos, gatherings, and other recollections through painting and installation. Memories of her family bonding around the television, watching home videos together, precious moments with her grandmother, and other moments are translated with a surrealistic lens. These moments reveal parts of the artist’s healing journey and extend empathy to others who may experience generational trauma.

For Robbins, these works provide a path to recovering her ancestral connection, allowing a more profound understanding of her family’s journey.