Black Ark
Polished aluminum, burnt wood, and soil
12ft x 10 ft x 6 ft
Black Ark, 2022
Charred timber, polished aluminium, soil
12 x 10 x 6 feet
A vessel, a threshold, and a site of memory, Black Ark embodies the ongoing movements of African peoples across the Atlantic. Evoking both the nave of a cathedral church and the hull of a ship, the structure stands as a symbol of Canada’s ship- building contributions to the slave trade and as a monument to the migrations that have shaped Black life. Inscribed into its surface, the phrase Exodus 1792 marks the departure of 1,196 Free African-Americans from Nova Scotia to Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1792. Yet, Black Ark does not commemorate any singular journey – it gestures toward a history of multidirectional movement and serves as a reminder of the ways migratory ripples shape our culture, food, and traditions.
