Come, Go Back, Child is an exhibition of recent work by multidisciplinary artist Aaron S. Coleman whose art practice examines the entangled histories of race, religion, and power in the United States. Coleman’s densely layered prints, sculptural assemblages, and mixed-media installations explore contemporary Black experiences and critique systems of white supremacy.
Dr. Saidya Hartman, a scholar of African American literature and cultural history, explains that “Come, go back, child” is another name for the kosanba, or the spirit child in West African folklore. In her book Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route, she writes:
The spirit child shuttles back and forth between worlds of the living and the dead because of the stories not passed on, the ancestors not remembered, the things lost, and the debts not yet paid. The “come, go back, child” braves the wreckage of history and bears the burdens that others refuse.
Coleman’s work in Come, Go Back, Child braves the wreckage of history by recontextualizing found objects, like segregation-era signage and racist caricatures of Black people, to confront difficult histories amid efforts to erase them from public memory. The artist’s jarring use of racist memorabilia intentionally challenges viewers’ to grapple with the United States of America’s past.
For this exhibit, Coleman created several new pieces in response to problematic objects in Plains Art Museum’s Permanent Collection. By inviting the artist to engage with racist caricatures, images of black face, and a photograph of a North Dakota Ku Klux Klan figure, we underscore that this is our history too.
Aaron Coleman is an Associate Professor and Kenneth E. Tyler Endowed Chair at Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis.
Aaron Coleman, Take a Knee, 2022, mixed media sculpture, 4 x 3 x 3 ft., Courtesy of artist
Opening Reception
Saturday, September 26, 6-8 PM, Free
Come celebrate the opening of the exhibition Come, Go Back, Child, featuring a large range of recent works by Aaron Coleman. Enjoy light refreshments, meet the artist, and explore the largest exhibition of Coleman’s print work to date.
Workshop: Low-tech Screen Print
September 28-30, 6-9 PM, $315 / $252 members
Through DIY, low-tech, and budget-friendly methods, Aaron Coleman will guide students in transforming screen printing into something fluid, immediate, and surprisingly painterly.
Artist-led Exhibition Tour: Aaron Coleman
Thursday, October 1, 12-1 PM, Free
Take a break and join us for a lunchtime tour of Come, Go Back, Child, led by artist Aaron Colman! While you’re here, grab lunch from Field & Fork Bistro and make the most of your visit to the museum.