Infinite Hope,Courtesy Jenkins Johnson Gallery
In the entryway to “Infinite Hope,”Kwame Brathwaite’s “Untitled (Crowd on Human Kindness Day)”(1975) depicts a crowd of faces with varied expressions. This particular photograph captures the overarching power of the exhibition, featuring the work of four multigenerational photographers from the late 20th century. The exhibit showcased Black experiences over an era of change via works by internationally celebrated artists Kwame Brathwaite, Renée Cox, Gordon Parks and Ming Smith. Opening just after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the exhibition’s title comes from a quote he delivered three months before his assassination, saying “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Launched in the 1950s, Infinite Hope captures social change as each artistic generation strides further than the one before, rejecting stereotypes faced by Black families, lifestyles and culture, celebrating infinite hope and unity.
