BMA Presents New Work by Acclaimed Artist Diedrick Brackens

BALTIMORE, MD (July 17, 2026)—The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) is pleased to present Diedrick Brackens: lights at the end of the world, an engaging exhibition of new and existing work by the acclaimed artist. Bringing together approximately 11 large-scale, handwoven tapestries and sculptural weavings, the exhibition debuts powerful works that explore allegory, autobiography, and histories of Black life and liberation through the lens of the Chesapeake Bay region. The exhibition is presented on the third floor of the BMA’s contemporary wing from November 8, 2026, through February 28, 2027.

Known for his richly narrative textile practice, Brackens interlaces histories, myth, and personal memory, drawing from his identity as a queer Black American. His work synthesizes techniques from West African weaving, American Southern quilting traditions, and European tapestry-making to create compositions that move fluidly between abstraction and figuration. Working primarily with hand-dyed cotton—a material he intentionally employs for its deep ties to histories of enslavement, labor, and migration in the United States—Brackens produces tapestries that are both materially and conceptually layered.’

For lights at the end of the world, Brackens draws inspiration from the Chesapeake Bay in the second half of the 19th century, considering the region as a site of both peril and possibility. The Underground Railroad, which routed self-emancipated individuals to freedom through Maryland, serves as a historical backdrop for images of escape, evasion, and self-possession. Across the galleries, motifs such as lanterns, suns, moons, and geese evoke navigation and endurance. Images of wild horses recall Assateague Island’s free-roaming herds, which Brackens frames as symbols of emancipation and self-determination. These visual elements operate not as fixed narratives but as suggestive fragments, encouraging visitors to construct meaning through imagination and reflection.

Central to Brackens’ practice is the depiction of tenderness, intimacy, and desire between Black men. These scenes of love and vulnerability offer counterpoints to histories of violence and erasure. In the exhibition, this vision is especially beautifully encapsulated in three major tapestries that trace the excitement of a young queer love blossoming. As the artist reflects, “It’s such a fraught time right now. All the things I care about are in trouble: landscape, gender, race, ritual, and spirituality that isn’t tied to a colonial past. But I still quest for those things and dream of them.”

The exhibition also introduces a newly commissioned poem by Baltimore-based poet Joël Díaz that unfolds throughout the galleries. Designed to be read in either direction, the poem mirrors the exhibition’s nonlinear storytelling approach, creating an open-ended journey where visitors encounter overlapping pathways of history, fantasy, and lived experience.

“Diedrick Brackens is one of the most fascinating artists working today, weaving poignant narratives that center Black life, love, and self-determination,” said Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “In lights at the end of the world, Diedrick’s spectacular new works connect national histories to the Chesapeake region with Black figures placed amidst the water, marshes, and wild horses, offering our audiences new ways of understanding freedom, resilience, and belonging.”

This exhibition is curated by Leila Grothe, former BMA Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, with Oscar Flores Montero, BMA Curatorial Assistant for Contemporary Art.

Diedrick Brackens (b. 1989, Mexia, Texas) lives in San Francisco and works in Los Angeles. He received a B.F.A. from the University of North Texas and an M.F.A. in textiles from the California College of the Arts. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Mint Museum, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Oakville Art Galleries, the Blanton Museum of Art, and the New Museum, among others. His work is held in the collections of major institutions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Brooklyn Museum; and the Studio Museum in Harlem. Among numerous honors, Brackens has received the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Grant, the Los Angeles Artadia Award, and the American Craft Council Emerging Artist Award.