Ian Weaver’s artistic practice is interdisciplinary in nature, and he uses a variety of media including drawing, collage, assemblage, sculpture, photography and film to explore memory and consider how individuals and communities construct their own identities. In reference to Christina Sharpe’s writings on representations of Black life, the title of Weaver’s exhibition responds to multiple understandings of “wake” – the temporary and ephemeral path behind a boat, a social ritual associated with funerals and a celebration of the dead, and the idea of awakening or becoming conscious. For his exhibition at Fort Worth Contemporary Arts Weaver responds to “wake” with a selection of objects that collectively weave together intersecting concerns of memory and identity. Referencing historic maritime culture, his new works include the skeletal frame of a boat hull, an anchor, and part of a lighthouse. He also includes family photographic portraiture and a film that documents the wake of a boat at a location that was once an important part of the Underground railroad on the South Side of Chicago. www.ianweaverartist.com