Philemona Williamson: Entangled in Truth

Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, is pleased to present Entangled in Truth, Philemona Williamson’s first solo exhibition in San Francisco, with an accompanying essay by Dr. Jacqueline Francis, Writer and Critic. The Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, September 11, from 2-5 pm at Jenkins Johnson Gallery in Minnesota Street Project. During the reception, Williamson will be in conversation with Dr. Francis from 3-4pm in the Atrium bleachers of Minnesota Street Project. Immediately following, there will be a book signing for “Lubaya’s Quiet Roar”, By Marilyn Nelson, Paintings by Philemona Williamson.

Philemona Williamson’s narrative paintings deal with gender, race and adolescence, sourced from her own memories. The work explores the tenuous bridge between adolescence and adulthood, encapsulating the intersection of innocence and experience at its most piercing and poignant moment. The lush color palette and dreamlike positioning of the figures ensures that their vulnerability – of age, of race, of sexual identity – is seen as strength and not as weakness. “My figures navigate a world of uncertainty as they search for understanding—both internally and in ever-shifting environments. I see the figures as vehicles to explore the existence of the most vulnerable adolescents, those evolving people of color, grappling with what will define and identify them. My paintings give voice and space to invisibility.”- Philemona Williamson.