Abigail DeVille presents Dark Matters

Following her moving sunrise performance at the Hirshhorn in October 2021, artist Abigail DeVille returned for a sunset performance honoring the centrality of enslaved peoples contributions to the foundation of the United States. Inspired by The Invisibles: The Untold Stories of African American Slaves in the White House by Jesse J. Holland, which chronicles the African Americans who were intimately involved in the construction the White House and U.S. Capitol buildings, DeVille called citizens to contemplate the gaps in our narrative history, through a participatory performance highlighting the tensions between illumination and darkness. Dark Matters featured a performance by the internationally acclaimed musical artist Meshell Ndegeocello, as well as a light procession and spoken tribute to enslaved laborers who built our most recognizable monuments to American freedom.
This performance was presented in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies. Democracy Collection.

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Simply breathtaking! Me'shell Ndegeocello is such a revolutionary artist -- so this pairing with Abigail DeVille is simply divine. Thank you for making this available and accessible to all, both in person and via UA-cam. Many thanks! Abigail, well done.