March 16, 2023
6pm EST
TILT Institute Main Gallery
Free To The Public
Steph Foster is an interdisciplinary artist specializing in photography with interests in video, installation, music, digital fabrication, sculpture, and performance. His exhibition titled, The Eyes Beneath the Oak, features a collection of mixed media artwork about the Black American experience that brings to the foreground the deliberate and systematic exploitation of Black bodies, specifically pertaining to the legacy of slavery and its relationship to mass incarceration.
Bondage and economic exploitation have long been hallmarks of white supremacy. This project offers a unique look into the world of prison trade shows, monuments of slavery turned into tourist attractions, and the commercialization of incarceration through the bail bonds industry. The Eyes Beneath the Oak was inspired by the incarceration of the artist’s aunt and how he and his family navigated the experience individually and collectively.
Foster received a MFA degree from the Rhode Island School of Design (2019) and a BA degree in Studio Art from Michigan State University (2015). He is the recipient of the Snider Prize from the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the T.C. Colley Award for Photographic Excellence, and the Stinnett Award from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. RSVP below!
