Fireworks
3 January - 10 February 2025
Opening Friday 3 January 5-8pm
5U Space is pleased to announce its second exhibition, Leo Brooks Fireworks. The collection of photographs, drawings, floor installation, and sound is the artist’s first solo presentation in Philadelphia and first show at 5U Space.
“To enjoy / fireworks / you would have / to have lived / a different kind /of life.”
- Naomi Shihab Nye
On January 1 2024 I heard a sound.
Or rather I heard something within a sound.
Death. In Palestine.
I recorded that sound from my bedroom window.
In time I heard all the killing America has done.
People marched, intellectuals orated, news reported, money was sent, posts were shared, statements released.
Nothing changed.
I was sad and safe.
When talking does not solve the problems.
When protesting does not solve the problems.
When global outcry does not solve the problems.
When the loss of life does not change minds.
And Israel gives the finger to international law.
And more bombs are dropped.
And still arms are supplied.
And still we celebrate with fireworks.
And you see it all.
Leo Brooks
27 December 2024
Leo Brooks (b. 1990) lives in Philadelphia, PA, USA. He is a graduate of Howard University (Washington, D.C.) and Parsons School of Design (New York, NY) where he studied photography and graphic design. Brooks’s art practice is rooted in introspection, helping him understand the time he lives in.