Tethered: Joint Gallery Exhibition: Kennedy Free x Ugliknits

.*What are you tethered to, What is tethred to you?*.

Immerse yourself in an eclecticly curated, interactive reality created with the intertwined influences of Ugliknits and KennedyFree. On a two day weekend , Oct,20-21 at Positive Space Studios (3520 West Fullerton Avenue). Featuring a knitwear clothing capsule in collab with artist Treehugger and various whimiscal and colorful art pieces by KennedyFree! Listen to some amazing sounds from Dj Tacco while fully absorbed in this unique atmosphere . See how two artists who are tethered to eachother and to their craft create an alternate reality where all of their wildest and whimsical ideas fabricate a new world .*.

Artists Statement :

Heaven Booth and Kennedy Freeman often collaborate to explore various perspectives of black womanhood in their respective mediums. Heaven, 20 year old Hatian-American textile designer from Chicago portrays this through her knitwear brand “Ugliknits” A clothing brand focused on making pieces that are inclusive, distinctive and playful. Heaven always loved fashion and design but it was during 2020 in the very beginning of the pandemic, when she picked up on crotchet and later on knitting, soon realizing how versatile the medium was, thus creating “Ugliknits”. The name was made due to her own personal experience growing up as a black girl and frequently being called ugly due to her skin, but as times changed and darker skin is now praised it felt extremely jarring to be suddenly called pretty. to pay homage to her younger self she reclaims the word ugly into “ugli” and showcases it through her work by featuring primarily black femmes aswell as plus size models that aren’t shown enough in fashion brands.

Kennedy ventures more into the side of traditional mediums with a focus in painting. She aims to give black women joyful, feminine and whimsical representation. She does this by creating eccentric portraits with bright colors. Her passion for art, community and activism comes together to produce captivating work.

In addition to the art they create, Heaven and Kennedy love curating community expiriences for young bipoc femmes in the city. They put together and host fashion shows, open mics, pop up vendor events, and more under their art collective HourNine. To learn more about them, follow them on social media

@ugliknits and @kennedyfree_