On The Ground: 2020 Protests and the Untold Stories of Los Angeles

The exhibition is curated by Raquel Natalicchio and Kemal Cilengir.

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, thousands of people took to the streets of Los Angeles and around the world to protest. A handful of those people showed up with cameras to document the history unfolding. Little did we all know how much those summer months would bring us together and change us forever. From the frontlines of the civil unrest, a community of photographers was forged. With daily battles being waged between citizens and law enforcement, those of us consistently on the ground bonded, and became a source of support and inspiration for one another.

Much of what we see on TV and news sites are edited down to fit within 90 seconds or word counts, leaving many stories on the ground level of our communities untold. Without these stories, we are missing important details that provide a more complete picture of what really happens in our cities. We hope this collection of stories and photos brings you closer to the unseen parts of Los Angeles. By knowing these stories we get a more in-depth view and greater understanding of the city we live in.

The exhibition is curated by Raquel Natalicchio and Kemal Cilengir.

Artists In The Exhibition:

Mike Ade, Gabriella Angotti-jones, Ashley Balderrama, Jimmy Bonks, Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin, Donato Bragagnolo, Anthony Carrillo, Kemal Cilengir, Mike Dennis, Enkrypt LA, Brian Feinzimer, Gilbert Godoy, Victor Greenwood, Samanta Helou Hernandez, Alexis Hunley, Jett Lara, Las Fotos Project, Jenae Lien, Rob Liggins, Bryan Mendez, Leah Minium, Raquel Natalicchio, Michael Omeka, Jeremy Paige, Rex Ramirez, Lexis-Olivier Ray, Steven (Koreano 213), Suitcase Joe, Raven Trammell, and Rayna Zemel.

Support

On the Ground LA public programs are supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles, Little Tokyo Arts District Neighborhood Council, and Art Share L.A.