âThese images attempt to bring the Black presence in Mexico from obscurity to light, from opacity to transparency, and from invisibility to tangibility in a way that respects the history and struggle while showcasing the beauty and strength of Black Mexico.”
Hakeem Khaaliq is a recipient of a 2017 Artist Research & Development Grant.
Artist Research and Development Grants are designed to support the advancement of artistic research, aid in the development of artistic work and recognize the contributions individual artists make to Arizonaâs communities. For more information about the Artist Research & Development Grant, click here.
Multidisciplinary artist Hakeem Khaaliq received funding in support of an anthropological interactive digital augmented reality photo essay showcasing the isolated descendants of the African Diaspora who reside on Mexico’s rural Pacific and Gulf Coasts, commonly referred to as Afro-Mexicanos. Although the essay will focus on specific towns in Mexico, the purpose for its development is to educate and inform the African American and Mexican American communities of Arizona by highlighting the cultural history shared by both Blacks and Mexicans, bringing awareness of the topic to the larger community. This project will launch February 2017, Black History Month, where Khaaliq will expand the essay into an interactive augmented reality installation exhibit.
Khaaliq’s project, âEncuentro Phoenix,â mixes the physical with the virtual, superimposing a computer-generated image onto images of the real world, as seen through a headset or mobile device. Displaying information overlays and digital content tied to the physical objects and locations featured in the photos, the viewer is immersed in a singular experience of cultural dialogue.
La Familia, 2014
The Elder, 2014
Khaaliq began directing and producing documentary films, but his passion for social change and activism led him to direct and produce films focusing on pressing global issues.
Artists uncover âInvisible Mexicoâ through augmented reality, Cronkite News, March 10, 2017
New exhibit showcases indigenous Afro-Mexicanos through photos, Paradise Valley Independent, March 2, 2017