黑料不打烊

In Wild Seeds of the Soufside, photographer Dee Dwyer takes us on a visual journey into the heart of Southeast DC, a 鈥渉idden gem in the nation鈥檚 capital鈥� also known as Soufside. Inspired by the book Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler, Dwyer connects the Soufside community with the book鈥檚 main characters Anyanwu and Doro, immortal beings with supernatural powers who are misunderstood and feared by those unaccustomed to their style of living. Dwyer鈥檚 photographs are evocative, sensuous, exude power, and serve to demystify an area that has been misconceived. As Washington鈥攚hich was nicknamed 鈥淐hocolate City鈥� in the 1970s due to the high population of Black people鈥攅xperiences more gentrification, Black natives are being displaced; as gentrification moves into Southeast, Dwyer鈥檚 photographs seek to preserve the soul of the community she calls home. 鈥淪outheast is a low resourced area that has a reputation for being treacherous and filled with warrior spirits like Doro. But it is simultaneously healing with an extraordinarily long life like Anyanwu,鈥� the artist explains. 鈥淪oufside is the 鈥榳ild seed鈥� of DC that remains grounded in its Black roots. Its original people are fighting to survive the destruction of their homeland. This exhibition is an opening to our soul for the world to see how magical we are. Like the lotus flower, we will survive through the mud and bloom when the sun appears.鈥�