LOS ANGELES — Amid rising racial tensions in the United States, Todd Gray’s exhibition at Perrotin is particularly relevant. The show coincides with the debut of his commissioned piece “Octavia’s Gaze” (2025) at the new David Geffen Galleries of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Titled Portals, the exhibition features multi-paneled photo assemblages that juxtapose images of slavery with European art and architecture, critiquing the excessive wealth sustained by enslaved labor. Gray’s works combine his own photographs with those from various sources, including Hubble Space Telescope images, creating visual puzzles that invite exploration.
Unlike John Baldessari’s deadpan approach, Gray’s assemblages evoke beauty and emotion, with photographs arranged in a nonlinear fashion that overlap and obscure each other. This intentional complexity encourages viewers to engage deeply, suggesting that African diasporic identity is layered and interconnected across time. The work “Paradox of Liberty (Monticello, Elmina, Akwidaa)” (2026) exemplifies this, featuring photos over lush Ghanaian landscapes and referencing historical sites tied to slavery and liberty, prompting visceral reactions to often neglected histories.
In “Heart of Darkness in Eden’s Garden” (2026), Gray personalizes the narrative by overlaying his silhouette over a formal garden scene, evoking solemnity and loss. Only through direct inquiry did it become clear that the setting is the AfricaMuseum in Belgium, once home to a “human zoo”. Such context amplifies the work’s emotional impact. For LACMA’s section on Atlantic circulation and exchange, Gray crafted a 27-foot-long photo narrative titled “Octavia’s Gaze”. It intertwines stories of African presence in Europe, colonialism, and the looting of cultural artifacts, honoring Afro-futurist author Octavia Butler with a gold-framed portrait amid a meld of African and European imagery.
By examining African heritage through meticulous research and poetic expression, Gray’s “Octavia’s Gaze” aligns with LACMA’s mission of presenting a comprehensive art history. The piece stands as a testament to how the past continuously informs survival and transformation, resonating with viewers by offering a profound reflection on the complexities of Black history.
