Meg Onli's Three-Part Exhibition on Blackness at ICA Philadelphia

Meg Onli curated 'Colored People Time', a three-chapter exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Philadelphia, exploring blackness and temporality. The chapters are 'Mundane Futures' (Feb 1–Mar 31), 'Quotidian Pasts' (Apr 26–Aug 11), and 'Banal Presents' (Sep 13–Dec 22). Onli was inspired by poets Fred Moten, Harryette Mullen, and Claudia Rankine, and the concept of CPT (Colored People's Time) as a political performance disrupting capitalist punctuality. The exhibition includes objects from artists, a political party, a Baptist preacher, an anthropology museum, and a video game company. 'Mundane Futures' examines futility in black cultural production from 1899 to 2019, featuring Martine Syms, Kevin Jerome Everson, Aria Dean, and Dave McKenzie. 'Quotidian Pasts' focuses on the African Collection of the Penn Museum, with collaboration from anthropologist Monique Scott and artist Matthew Angelo Harrison. 'Banal Presents' is a conversation among artists Carolyn Lazard, Cameron Rowland, and Sable Elyse Smith on incarceration and reparations. Onli's thematic approach is influenced by black studies rather than art history, citing 'Freestyle' by Thelma Golden and 'Black Is, Black Ain't' by Hamza Walker. She aims to represent blackness non-monolithically, emphasizing a chorus of perspectives.