“Curator Ingrid LaFleur is a world traveler. She is an art advisor and curator whose work has taken her to the far reaches of the globe. She has traveled South America, Africa and Europe to make visual art more accessible to people who don’t generally experience the arts from around the globe. As an advocate for the support of artists and the arts Ingrid co-founded several initiatives to bring local contemporary artists to areas where the arts rarely flourish.” (Source: TEDx youtube page)
In this TED Talk, LaFleur wants to highlight Afrofuturism and discusses the visual aesthetics of Afrofuturism. Coined by Mark Dery in 1994 essay “Black to the Future,” LaFleur speaks about how Afrofuturistic artists, writers, musicians use their work to imagine possible futures and alternative worlds through “black cultural lens,” mixing the past, present and future. Afrofuturism allows for experimentation, re-imagining of identities, and actively working towards liberation. In November, LaFleur will be curating her own exhibition in Pittsburgh on Afrofuturism, called “My Mythos,” featuring artists Ayanah Moor, Alisha Wormsley, D. Denenge Akpem, Krista Franklin, and Staycee Pearl. For more on Afrofuturism, read this interview with artist and educator D. Denenge Akpem.
Sherese Francis: Futuristically Ancient 