Objective: The Things That Are Real

A community-sourced gallery of objects, both mundane and monumental. Artifacts we grow more and more distant from as we all search for truth in an increasingly idea-plagued world. The first solo exhibit by artist and photographer Obiekwe “Obi” Okolo is an immersive pursuit of an understanding of truth and an opportunity to engage with it in a new way. In the magic of the real - through portraiture.

“The real has its own magic. Of course, I know the magic that lies in a thought - the passion of a beautiful thought. But what I’m talking about here is something I find even more incredible. The magic of things, the magic of the real world.”

- Peter Zumpthor, Atmospheres

Is there objective truth without an object - an artifact? How, if at all, can an idea bear fundamental integrity if not anchored to reality. For the duration of this exhibition of the mundane and monument, gallery guests are invited to explore the idea of orienting/foundational truth by bringing with them their own person-orienting artifact. A keepsake, a tool, a product, a hand-me-down, or an everyday object that anchors or grounds to reality.

Guests were invited into a room filled with beautiful, mundane, and monumental objects on display as in a sculpture gallery. Each object, sourced from the beloved community, sits on its own lit pedestal with its portrait and narrative displayed. In the center of the gallery, as others engage with objects on display, every guest and their artifact will be photographed by the artist while telling their story. A fully analog process to create a collection, a portrait of Beloved Community bound together by objective orienting truths, not divisive ideas.