Cali M. Banks, whose ancestors are both Munsee Lenape and Scottish, recently returned to Syracuse, where she was born and raised. As an artist, Banks has long embraced photography as her medium of choice. Rather than embracing photography’s objective or journalistic qualities, Banks seeks to personalize her work through a combination of alchemical processes and labor-intensive embellishment. The result is a body of work that balances nostalgia, loss, identity, longing, and a sense of community.
I’ve Learned to Hold Myself Softly utilizes self-portraiture, still-lifes, and architecture to examine Banks’ return to Syracuse. Many of the places that she had found solace in as a youth have now been demolished, abandoned, or gentrified. I’ve Learned to Hold Myself Softly funnels the emotions associated with loss and change into works that reflect the conflicting realities and collateral damage that stem from the rapid changes Syracuse has undergone during the past decade.
Cali M. Banks (Munsee Lenape/Scottish) is a lens-based artist currently based in Syracuse, NY. She holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Media Arts Practices from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a BA in Art and Technology and Global Health Studies from Allegheny College.
Cali M. Banks, Dad’s Words, Eastside, 2023, Polaroid emulsion lift onto additional polaroid, 12 x 12 inches, Courtesy of the artist
Cali M. Banks, Daydream, Northside, 2023, Double polaroid emulsion lift & transfer onto watercolor paper with hand-sewn beadwork and gold leaf details, 10 x 12 inches, Courtesy of the artist
Cali M. Banks: I’ve Learned to Hold Myself Softly is part of the Everson CNY Artist Initiative, an exhibition program that celebrates the multi-faceted talents of regional artists. The CNY Artist Initiative is made possible with support from Terry and Bill Delavan. The Everson is supported by the Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation; the General Operating Support program, a regrant program of the County of Onondaga with the support of County Executive, J. Ryan McMahon II, and the Onondaga County Legislature, administered by CNY Arts; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
