Ground Revision was an exhibition of site-specific works installed in the period rooms of the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, on view from March 31, 2019 - March 31, 2020. Not far from the house is the site of a former burial ground where enslaved peoples were laid to rest (some from the Dyckman estate). Destroyed in the early 20th century as the area was developed, the graves were dug up with little care or concern, and their remains were ultimately lost. It is still unmarked to this day; a public school and its parking lot now stand at the site.
I was invited by the museum’s staff to join the ongoing conversation about this situation, and to address a deep history of white supremacy at the house through these works. The community is fighting to have the site remembered, and I hope these works amplified the conversation, while offering a contemplative moment for visitors to the house.
Guest curated by Gabriel de Guzman.
All photos by Alexander Perrelli.