FIGUREd out

FIGUREd out, by Akhira Montague, dates back to 2017. The artist mainly works with print material such as paper ,ink,stencil, and photographic printing. Majority of Montague`s work originates from photos of her own or the influence of her childhood and what she faces on the daily. Working with paper and figures, Montague is able to physically manipulate and collage her pieces, layering them to convey time passing and emphasizing details in the work.

The photographic prints in FIGUREd out question what pieces are needed to construct a photo what happens when certain pieces of information are missing from the photo or manipulated. Montague purposely puts her viewer in a position of questioning “ what time has to do with photography,and overtime what symbols and figures remain?”

The goal of this work is to highlight the fact that there are many pieces that can and will be put together to relay a bigger message. From the pixels that make up our screens to the messages relayed from all around the world over time. By physically hand printing and manipulating her images, Montague tries to slow down her consumption of information and images that she faces on a daily basis.

The use of saturated colors and contrasting backgrounds, is to achieve an alertness that devices have when you first turn them on such as phone screen or sirens. The layering and listing of names and human figures proposes an undeniable overlapping and unity we all have on this earth.

Akhira Montague (b. 1997, Princeton NJ) is a multimedia artist and photographer based in Brooklyn, NY. Montague grew up in Columbus, New Jersey and attended college at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn where she received a BFA in Photography. She has exhibited in The African American Museum in Philadelphia as well as many other venues along the east coast.

For inquiries, please contact: info@straightlick.com

Artist: Akhira Montague ︎ ︎

Curator: Malaika Newsome