Always Moving: African American Portraiture in Experimental Film

“The power of Dawoud Bey’s work comes from the marriage of his extraordinary formal skill as a photographer with his deeply held belief in the political power of representation.” ― Corey Keller, SFMOMA curator of photography

Presented in dialogue with Dawoud Bey: An American Project (on view at SFMOMA February 15–May 25), Always Moving presents historical and contemporary moving image works created during the period 1967–2019. Engaging traditions as diverse as ‘60s New York underground filmmaking and ‘70s leftist political manifestos, portraiture, street photography, and stag films, these films frame experiences of public and community life, family history, and political struggle within the contexts of African-American photographic traditions and countercultural expression. The works consider the intimate lives of strangers, friends, and family, and reframe representations of joy and love, struggle and resilience, and the simple pleasures found in the everyday. Co-curated by SFMOMA and San Francisco Cinematheque.

Film Details

Remembrance: A Portrait Study (1967) by Edward Owens

Hour Glass (1971) by Haile Gerima

The Orchid (1972) by Samuel R. Delany

Medea (1973) by Ben Caldwell

Memory Palace (2015) by Martine Syms

SCREEN TEST (2016) by Mickalene Thomas

Goddess (2018) by Kevin Jerome Everson

After DeCarava (2018) by Paige Taul

Garden (2017) by Alima Lee

Films and schedules may be subject to change.

Presented in association with San Francisco Cinematheque and our community partner the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD)