Imagery saturates the contemporary moment, from raised fists to recently decapitated statues (which surely won’t be missed). The visuals, while at first a bit dissonant, have become emblematic of a long overdue reckoning with American anti-Blackness. In mediums more compelling than words, they begin to tell of stories left untold, offering a front of possibilities to come.

Night Gallery’s founder, Davida Nemeroff, recognizes art as a means of beginning to work towards liberation. For the next ten days, the gallery features an online art benefit, with all proceeds going towards Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Black Worker Center, the Equal Justice Initiative, Critical Resistance, and the Los Angeles Action Bail Fund.

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Black Lives Matter: A Benefit Exhibition Supporting Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and Other Los Angeles Organizations is now live through June 22 ??? During this moment of necessary protest, Night Gallery recognizes the call for deep reflection and a commitment to ongoing work. As we search for strategies to effect change in the long term, we hear the call for immediate action, we wanted to meet the moment with what we know best, bringing together our roster of celebrated artists for a group exhibition. 100% of the gallery's share of proceeds will benefit organizations providing vital services at this time. The gallery selected Black Lives Matter Los Angeles @blmlosangeles, wanting to support this historic movement in our own city. Following input from our artists, a portion of proceeds will also benefit four other causes: the Los Angeles Black Worker Center @lablackworkercenter, an organization devoted to closing the employment equity gap for Black workers; the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) @eji_org, a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons; Critical Resistance, a national grassroots organization building a movement to abolish the prison industrial complex @criticalresistance; and the Los Angeles Action Bail Fund #actionbailfundLA, providing rapid response aid to the protestors on the front lines of this fight. ♥️♥️♥️ Above: Mira Dancy, “Protest Chest,” 2016 #blacklivesmatter #blmla #lablackworkercenter #equaljusticeinitiative #criticalresistance #actionbailfundla @miramizzmira

A post shared by Night Gallery (@nightgallery) on Jun 9, 2020 at 10:22am PDT

Nemeroff curated the exhibit from the gallery’s existing inventory, following conversations with several individual artists. As she tells WWD, “It speaks to the artists we represent and the meaning and the message that each artist has always had. That was eye opening.”

Of course, conversations are an important aspect of any meaningful movement, as are monetary contributions. Yet, in an industry which routinely profits off of (read: exploits) Black creatives, it becomes necessary to look inwards. “The art world is complacent,” Nemeroff continues. “Black culture’s been appropriated in art, and we have to be more upfront about that.”

One artist represented by Night Gallery, Kandis Williams, works to directly challenge the commodification of Black artists. Williams runs Cassandra Press, publishing with the “intention […] to spread ideas, distribute new language, propagate dialogue centering ethics, aesthetics, femme driven activism, and black scholarship.” Williams, alongside Nemeroff, notes a need to decolonize the artistic sphere, reclaiming Black archives and distributing materials to Black-owned institutions.

Support the work of Williams and other artists here.