For his series Manifest, Wendel White photographed objects and documents associated with African American history that are held in various public collections throughout the United States. White’s evocative images draw attention to the unexpected details of diaries, slave collars, human hair, drums, and souvenirs. Some of these items hold great significance, while others simply provide insight into the the daily lives of Black Americans throughout history. By isolating each object and choosing a narrow focus with his camera, White taps into the residual power of the past to inhabit these physical remains, noting that “the ability of objects to transcend lives, centuries, and millennia, suggests a remarkable mechanism for folding time, bringing the past and the present into a shared space that is uniquely suited to artistic exploration.”
Wendel White : Manifest
February 4–March 27, 2021
Blue Sky, the Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts
122 NW 8th Ave., Portland, OR 97209 USA
503-225-0210 ext. 2
