PHILADELPHIA, PA \u2014 Visitors to InLiquid Gallery this summer will step into alternate timelines, forgotten histories, and imagined futures as a new multimedia exhibition challenges audiences to reconsider how the past continues to shape the world around them.<\/p>\n
Opening May 29, Future\/Past\/Present brings together seven Philadelphia-area artists whose work explores memory, identity, political power, and cultural history through photography, sculpture, textiles, painting, and mixed-media installations.<\/p>\n
Timed to coincide with America\u2019s 250th anniversary celebrations, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect not only on the nation\u2019s history, but also on the choices shaping its future.<\/p>\n
Art That Reimagines History<\/p>\n
The exhibition moves through overlapping timelines that blur the boundaries between historical reality and imagined possibilities.<\/p>\n
Some works focus on individuals and stories that have been forgotten or erased from public memory, while others create artifacts from alternate versions of history\u2014objects that seem familiar but belong to worlds that never existed.<\/p>\n
Visitors will encounter quilted portraits honoring incarcerated individuals, sculptural reinterpretations of American iconography, and reimagined maps and political artifacts that question how history is constructed and remembered.<\/p>\n
Seven Artists, Seven Perspectives<\/p>\n
Featured artists in Future\/Past\/Present include:<\/p>\n
Randall Cleaver, whose moving mechanical sculptures transform discarded materials into humorous and thought-provoking scenes
\nBilly Colbert, who layers political and pop culture imagery to explore the complexities of Black American identity
\nCarolyn Harper, who hand-sews portraits of incarcerated people serving life sentences without parole
\nCandace Karch, documenting Philadelphia\u2019s drag scene during the late 1980s and early 1990s
\nJames Labold, whose glass sculptures reinterpret American symbols and mythology
\nCarole Loeffler, using repurposed textiles to examine women\u2019s history and shared experiences
\nBenjamin B. Olshin, creator of fictional historical artifacts and alternate-reality documents<\/p>\n
Together, the artists create an exhibition that encourages visitors to think about the ripple effects of history, politics, and personal identity across generations.<\/p>\n
Part of a Citywide America250 Initiative<\/p>\n
Future\/Past\/Present is part of Radical Americana, a citywide initiative organized by The Clay Studio that connects arts organizations across Philadelphia through research-driven contemporary exhibitions tied to the nation\u2019s Semiquincentennial.<\/p>\n
The broader initiative aims to encourage public dialogue about America\u2019s cultural identity, civic life, and evolving future through contemporary art and storytelling.<\/p>\n
Event Details<\/p>\n
Reception Dates<\/p>\n
The public is invited to gallery receptions on:<\/p>\n
Thursday, June 11, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
\nThursday, July 9, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM<\/p>\n
As Philadelphia prepares for America\u2019s 250th anniversary, Future\/Past\/Present offers a chance to look backward, forward, and inward all at once\u2014through artwork that asks audiences not just what history was, but what it still could become.<\/p>\n