Escape To The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver with Black In Denver Photographer & Artist Narkita Gold
PHOTOGRAPHED & WRITTEN BY ESTHER LEE LEACH // EDITOR IN CHIEF
LOCATION: MCA DENVER
Esther Lee Leach: Narkita, your portrait and interview series, Black In Denver, is now exhibiting at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. You have said that this portrait series ‘supports and demonstrates the notion that blackness, and identity in general, is not a monolith.’ Why was this important for you to show, and why did you create the Black in Denver series?
Narkita Gold: I grew up being told by people who look like me that I wasn’t Black enough. Because of that I grew up being insecure in my Black identity. When I moved here, I saw all types of Black people — traditional, hood, afrocentric, preppy, quirky, weird, and on and on — simply existing, doing them and living their best lives. That inspired me, so eventually, within my own unmasking, I raised the following question: “What does it mean to be Black in Denver” In this journey I ultimately realized what I experienced growing up was a direct result of being oppressed. When we critique how someone shows up in their Blackness we are doing the work of the people who oppressed us. So, I wanted to not only push against the damaging narrative and assumptions people outside of the Black community have, but also against a narrative that we sometimes hold of ourselves.
ELL: You photographed 100 Black Denverites for the series, all from various backgrounds, including Mayor Hancock of Denver. What did you learn about black people’s identity and place in society in Denver?
NG: That there’s a sense of freedom here. And when people talk about freedom, they mean they can be who they are. They don’t have to exist within the confines of what society says it means to be Black. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any issues for Black people in Denver. Being Black in Denver is just like being Black in any city in America. There’s racism, there are issues within the system, job discrimination, health disparities, micro aggressions, etc. All the problems that we face as a people are still here. But my work is about who we are as humans. That’s the narrative I want to share. The struggle narrative has always and will always be around, but we are so much more. We are so beautiful and multidimensional and Denver’s Black community inspired me to dig into these narratives. My work is a counternarrative and then some.
ELL: You moved to Denver in 2015 from Nashville, Tennessee. How has moving here impacted your identity, and your life as an artist and photographer?
NG: In Nashville, I was an award-winning communications professional. I heavily identified with that. I took pride in that. I still have the trophies. I am still in communications. That is a part of who I am. However, being here has allowed me to look beyond that identity and realize that yes, I can be a professional but who I really am is an artist. I think being away from home gave me the freedom to embrace and nurture parts of myself that weren’t allowed to exist. Denver has been a great place for me.
ELL: After meeting and interviewing members of the black community in Denver, what did you discover about the diversity in blackness in the city? How did you portray this in your series?
NG: A few people, both locals and transplants, have said the following and it makes sense. Black people in Denver are all spread out due to gentrification and the lack of a centralized location for us to congregate. The isolation is difficult and can cause mental health issues. However, some thrive in the isolation. That isolation is where people have the best relationship ever, the relationship they have with themselves, and it creates fertile ground for people to do their own thing, to establish their own belief system, and their own way of being. I think that’s where the diversity comes from. To communicate this, I use a spectrum of background colors. With those colors, I created a spectrum wall. The wall represents our vastness. In no way have I included all identities, that wasn’t my goal. But the spectrum and the work in general is meant to challenge your thinking.
ELL: Two of the first questions that you ask the Black in Denver participants are ‘Who are you?’ and ‘What does it mean to be you?’ How would you answer these questions?
NG: I am an ever-changing being. At times, I even surprise myself with all the identities and layers of personality I exist within. I feel that I’m in the thick of my self-discovery journey, especially as an artist. It took me a long time to get here but I’ve finally accepted that that is who I am. The Black in Denver series played a major role in that transition. I feel a little late to the art game, so at this moment I’m in this place where I’m creating and trying everything I can get my hands on, everything that brings me joy, anything that allows me to answer a new question. I’m constantly soaking up knowledge. From the folks at my residency at PlatteForum, through the ArtCorps program at Redline, in conversation with Thomas Evans and Tya Anthony and Rochelle Johnson. I’m a literal sponge right now. Someone recently commissioned me to just create. Knowing that someone believes and sees the possibilities has really helped me step into this new role too.
I am also a messenger. I am a spiritual. I am existential. I am a questioner. To be me means to be curious, open-minded, and accepting of others, so it means to be love even when it’s difficult. It means to wish for a better world for all of us, especially marginalized groups.
ELL: What’s next for you? Any more exhibitions or art residencies planned?
NG: There are no more exhibitions or art residencies on the horizon. Right now, I am applying for scholarships and grants to pay for college tuition because I’ve decided to move to New York to study at NYU. I was accepted into Tisch School of the Arts earlier this year to earn my MA in Arts Politics. I’m excited to dive deeper into my art practice and to sharpen my critical thinking skills.
Narkita Gold’s Black In Denver series is now on exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver.
www.blackindenver.com // @blackindenver // @narkitagold
Photographer: @estherleeleach