Comprising seven different exhibitions, “Activation” is an exciting series of works from six individual artists as well as a selection of activist graphics. Featured artists and their exhibitions include Mark Steven Greenfield, April Bey, Carla Jay Harris, Keith Collins, Paul Stephen Benjamin, Sergio Hernandez and the Collection of Activist Graphics from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Taken individually and as a whole, the exhibitions offer an invigorating mix of mediums and styles. Bey’s lush The Opulent Blerd uses tactile mediums and vivid color to express power dynamics, including that of the advertising and fashion industries regarding people of color. Smart, witty and trenchant, Bey’s exquisitely constructed work is also simply beautiful.

April Bey, The Opulent Blerd

Equally lovely are the gilded, fantastical images of Harris’ A Season in the Wilderness. Infused with light and a sense of magic, Harris shapes boldly hued visuals myths both mysterious and captivating. With gold leaf elements that mirror that of Byzantine icons, Greenfield’s “A Survey, 2001-2021″ creates powerful paintings that subvert negative stereotypes about Black people and culture. Like Bey and Harris, a fierceness in palette matches passion for his subjects, serving as a framework for a message of pride, hope, achievement and sacrifice.

Mark Steven Greenfield, “A Survey, 2001-2021″ , photo by Genie Davis.

Collins’ incredible use of repurposed material to create tapestry is on full display with Ali, a woven miracle of second-hand fiber creating a visceral tribute to the great fighter —and first-class art. Audio and video elements are also approached as woven material, with Benjamin’s stirring Oh Say (Remix), combining iconic American imagery with voices of black artists performing The Star-Spangled Banner.

Keith Collins Ali on view at MOAH. Photo by Genie Davis.

Hernandez’ collection of work is also potent, presenting satiric graphic and comic art in Chicano Time Capsule, Nelli Quitoani; a variety of graphic fine artists’ work is displayed in “What Would You Say.” These two exhibitions, while less visually galvanizing than the others on displa, nonetheless richly round out a show soaring with imagination and beauty while educating viewers and redefining its subject matter with a sense of purpose and change.

MOAH is located at 665 W Lancaster Blvd, Lancaster, open Tuesday-Sunday.