The Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center sends this information as posted below:
OKLAHOMA CITY (June 3, 2025) — Opening Nov. 6 in Oklahoma Contemporary’s Mary LeFlore Clements Oklahoma Gallery, Jakian Parks: The Black Land connects the past and present, situating the American West as a living archive and center stage for Black cattlemen and cowboys alike. Through Jakian Parks’ photography, The Black Land envisions a layered structure, connecting the historical phases from Black captivity through to contemporary Black equestrianism. Within this conceptual framework lies a sacred and congenital agricultural virtue, where Oklahoma’s Black rodeo culture becomes both symbol and setting for survival, resurgence and celebration.
The exhibition highlights the land as a complex and enduring source of struggle and identity within the African American experience. For Black Americans, farmland evokes a lineage of forced labor, sharecropping and ongoing challenges around ownership and sovereignty. Yet The Black Land also affirms the expertise and insight that have emerged from this proximity. Through its gestures and imagery, the exhibition suggests that ancestral spirits hold the key to a deeply rooted knowledge of plantation systems, gardening traditions and livestock ranching. Chloe` Flowers, guest curator for the exhibition, said, “The Black Land is a ceremonial parade of the admiration and respect we have for ourselves and our ancestors. The overlap between faith and forward action creates a supernatural progression for Black people. I hope viewers are able to see their reflections in the work and implement more advancement into their lives.”
Ritualistic practices — merging African and Christian traditions — form the foundation of cultural healing that continues to sustain Black communities. The photographs in The Black Land explore these rituals across all aspects of Black cowboy culture: on front porches, in gospel choirs, on horseback and in afternoons spent fishing. They embody a quiet grace that redefines historical narratives and contributes to a broader understanding of the American landscape, resisting the stereotypes historically imposed upon Black bodies. In speaking about the process behind developing the exhibition, artist Jakian Parks said, “A cherished aspect of this process was learning more about the Black towns around Oklahoma. Visiting historical figures and lands to discover more about my own history was very inspiring. This pushed me to dig as deep as possible into Black archives.”
Parks grew up attending rodeos with his aunt, Shay Nolan, and became immersed in Black rodeo culture from a young age. Parks has previously promoted Black rodeo culture through his work with the nonprofit Oklahoma Cowboys, including collaborations with Pharrell Williams for the Louis Vuitton Men’s Fall-Winter 2024 Show in Paris, France, and a campaign honoring Black History Month with bootmaker Timberland.
Jakian Parks: The Black Land will be on view at Oklahoma Contemporary Nov. 6, 2025 through June 1, 2026.
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