Though photographer Ming Smith may typically be associated with New York, a quartet of shows this season—two at the Columbus Museum of Art, as well as one a piece at Wexner Center of the Arts and the Gund—seek to reclaim her as an Ohioan, given that she was raised in Columbus. But geography can hardly contain Smith, who took significant strides for Black female artists like herself, and many of the pictures in these shows were taken far beyond Ohio. The Wexner, for example, is spotlighting some of Smith’s photographs shot in Africa, where she imaged sights seen and people encountered in an unusually high level of darkness that typifies her art. The Wexner and Columbus Museum shows are part of this year’s FotoFocus Biennial for photography.
Columbus Museum: September 19, 2024–January 26, 2025
Wexner: September 22, 2024–January 5, 2025
Gund: Through December 15, 2024
