The University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities Gallery proudly presents Rashaad Newsome: Chimera, an immersive exhibition running from January 16 to February 28, 2025. At the heart of the exhibition is a newly commissioned film, also titled Chimera, which bridges the narratives of Newsome’s previous works, Hands Performance and Build or Destroy, through an interquel that delves into the origins and purpose of the searing, flame-engulfed figure who emerges from the spaceship where Hands Performance unfolds. This bold shift toward sci-fi filmmaking layers filmic architecture, movement, and world-building to explore identity, resistance, and creation.

Hands Performance fuses Black Queer ASL and vogue fem traditions, translating Newsome’s poetry into a celestial choreography of signing and dancing aboard a spaceship, while Build or Destroy follows a blazing figure igniting fires of transformation through voguing in a fictional cityscape. These films, alongside two new collage works and custom vinyl installations, immerse visitors in a speculative universe of liberation and renewal. Chimera offers a cinematic experience that redefines the structures of sci-fi filmmaking and positions art as a vehicle for boundless resistance and creation. Join us for this extraordinary exploration of speculative Black art and the mythic journeys it charts.

For more info on the exhibition and related events, click here!