The Source of Self Regard
Beginning with the radical act of seeing oneself—and one’s community—with reverence, The Source of Self Regard asserts that self-regard is neither a luxury nor ego. It is a necessity. Curated by cultural worker and entrepreneur Tayyib Smith, the exhibition brings together six Black artists with roots in Philadelphia to examine the Black self in a powerful celebration and affirmation of belonging.
Curatorial Statement
Tayyib Smith
In a society that lacks the language, the will, and the spiritual depth to fully see or hold the humanity of Black people, and of all people deemed unworthy because of race, gender, identity, or the accident of birthplace, you learn early to move through the storm of white supremacy with rhythm and refusal. To walk with your head high, a dip in your step. To dodge and weave, not just to survive, but to improvise. To endure and to create.
That is where this show begins: with the radical act of seeing oneself, and one’s people, with reverence. Self-regard is not a luxury. It is not ego. It is an imperative, especially in this regressive era of backlash and weaponized nostalgia. Especially here, in this unfinished project we call the United States, on the eve of the Semiquincentennial: land of the incarcerated and the forgotten, of Silicon fortunes and Ferguson uprisings, of poisoned water in Flint and cancer alley in Louisiana, of glittering art fairs a stone’s throw from food deserts, all within sight of well-endowed anchor institutions, side by side, yet infinitely unequal.
What “Self Regard” means depends on where you fall in the lottery of birth. I was born in 1971 to a woman who, by 1985, had endured three unnecessary cesarean sections, a product of a predatory medical system that treated her Black womb as a profit center. I did not know this then. I only knew I was wrapped in love.
We lived at 706 N. Franklin Street in Philadelphia’s Friends Housing Cooperative, a working-class enclave that, to me, felt magical. Outside metrics might have called it ‘The Hood,’ but to me it was abundant. Neighbors braided your hair, loaned you sugar, and taught you how to listen to jazz on the stoop. I didn’t yet know how rare that was, that Self Regard was a seed passed down through care, ritual, and pride. My mother planted it in me long before I knew words like gentrification, redlining, or urban renewal. Continue Reading
Listen to The Source of Self Regard sound score on Apple Music or Spotify
Curated by Tayyib Smith
About the Artist
Gianni Lee
Gianni Lee is a visual artist and musician based in Philadelphia. A self-described “Multi-Hyphenate Creator,” Gianni’s work in fine art and street art spans diverse mediums and draws inspiration from his environment and pop culture to create narratives of belonging. He has exhibited nationally and internationally at the Naughton Gallery in Ireland, Black Wall Street Gallery in New York, The Dock Gallery in L.A., and more. He has also collaborated on initiatives with the New York City Football Club, Gucci, and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Erlin Geffrard
Erlin Geffrard is a painter based in Philadelphia, PA. Most of his work is mixed media painting with a variety of styles. Ranging from family portraits to images derived from imagination. Using new and repurposed materials in rhythmic combinations. His current series explores the connections between family memory, ritual, and popular culture.
Zakee Kuduro
Zakee Kuduro is a Philadelphia-born, South America–based multidisciplinary artist working across painting, sculpture, film, and sound. His work investigates identity, mortality, spirituality, and cultural memory—particularly through the lens of the American and Black experience. His visual language is quiet yet potent, often grounded in emotional stillness and philosophical inquiry. All of his creative output lives within a larger, evolving body of work titled "All Sinners Have Souls.
Al-baseer Holly
Philadelphia native and former recording artist, turned self taught visual artist ABH is an American contemporary artist currently living in Los Angeles. ABH has been a creative since childhood and at the age of 18, he had success as a recording artist working with Pharrell Williams and many others. His career and contacts as a multifaceted artist has taken him around the world and provided access to many experiences, circumstances and people which are relived and portrayed through his worldly and expressive pieces.
Mel D. Cole
Mel D. Cole is a globally recognized, self-taught photographer celebrated for his powerful and evocative visual storytelling. Raised in Syracuse, NY, Mel has over two decades of experience, capturing iconic moments across a wide range of genres, including photojournalism with historical events, such as the George Floyd protests and the January 6th Capitol attack, music having captured arist such as Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, The Roots and Drake, as well as lifestyle, travel, sports, and documentary photography. Mel has collaborated with major brands and organizations, including the World Bank, Pepsi, and Chelsea F.C.
Currently based in New York City, Mel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies from Stony Brook University with a concentration in Cinema and Cultural Studies and African American History.
Ron St. Clair
For over 50 years, visual architect Ron St. Clair’s photographs have documented decades of Black people, including the historic White House event that launched Black History Month. His images convey the depth and passion of an inspired culture. Ron captures Black folks in all our glory: at play, dancing, shining bright, struggling against despair, protesting, praising the Lord, being dignified, partying, living in our neighborhoods, swaying in love, working hard, and hardly working. Stellar icons featured in Ron’s photos over the decades include Maya Angelou, Gregory Hines, Judith Jamison, Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, and many more luminaries.
– Dyana Williams
