Drexciya: Into the Deep

March 5 — April 18, 2026

  • Opening Reception: March 5 from 6 - 8 PM

    Artist Talk: March 7 from 2 - 4 PM

    Submerged in Sound: An Asé Aperture Listening Experience: April 18 from 6 - 9 PM

  • Drexciya: Into the Deep is the first of three exhibitions in Union Hall's 2026 Rough Gems series. Rough Gems is Union Hall’s annual open call and collaborative curatorial program. Each year three curator/curatorial teams are selected to showcase an original and innovative exhibition in our gallery. With Rough Gems, Union Hall hopes to impact the lives of emerging artists and curators with a platform for exhibition that is inclusive, supportive, and committed to the artists we serve by paying them for exhibitions and performances.

    Rough Gems 2026 is generously supported by the Kenneth King Foundation.

Curated by Sierra Jeter, Drexciya: Into the Deep explores a subaqueous Afrofuturist mythology rooted in African diasporic history, music, and remembrance. The Drexciya mythos originated from the Detroit techno duo Drexciya in their 1992 album Deep Sea Dweller, unfolding through aquatic soundscapes, album art, and speculative narratives that re-imagined survival beyond historical violence. At its core, Drexciya offers an alternative narrative to confront the trauma of the transatlantic slave trade, transforming erasure into joy, resilience and liberation.

While fictional, Drexciya has inspired a very real movement: the call for an ocean memorial through immersive and visual art that honors the estimated 1.8 million Africans who perished during the Middle Passage. Despite the Atlantic Ocean being the world’s largest unmarked grave of the slave trade, no international memorial exists. Through underwater photography, archives, immersive installations, projection mapping, and mixed-media works, this exhibition brings the Drexciya mythos to life, bridging the past and present for a more liberated future.

About the Artists + Curator

  • Darrien Williamson

    Darrien Williamson (he/him) is the builder and owner of Dem Deya Sound System, a small group of friends who throw events surrounding the message behind reggae roots music. From building speakers to making music, Darrien has crafted unique ways to bring people together through the lens of dub music and beyond. Tapping into the science of design more, he's focused on making speakers , and furniture pieces and more thru a forthcoming practice called Asé Continuum: A practice focused on the power to create.

  • Ehime Ora

    Ehime (she/her) is an Edo-Urhobo Nigerian writer, artist, and priestess of the Ifá & Orisa tradition who has dedicated her life to facilitating ancestral connections, generational healing, and personal alignment for people who need it the most. She is the author of Ancestors Said: 365 Introspections for Emotional Healing, which she independently published in 2021 and re-published through Hay House in July 2023. Her second book, Spirits Come from Water: An Introduction to Ancestral Veneration and Reclaiming African Spiritual Practices, was released on November 5th 2024 through Hay House.

  • Johnny Draco

    Johnny Draco (he/him) (b.1991) is a multidisciplinary visual artist and designer from Atlanta, Georgia, based in Denver, Colorado. Blending bold color gradients, high contrast silhouettes, and character driven imagery, Draco builds worlds that explore identity, heritage, memory, and transformation. After working as a concept designer at Kidrobot, he brought his character design foundation into his painting practice, merging illustration driven structure with contemporary symbolism. Drawing from African patterns, architecture, and a future facing visual language, his work balances graphic clarity with emotional depth. His work has been exhibited in Colorado and beyond, including presentations at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, and he continues to expand his practice through exhibitions, public facing installations, and collaborative commissions.

  • Kimber Greenwood

    Kimber Greenwood (she/her) is the owner of Waterbear Photography specializing in maternity, boudoir, and underwater fine art portrait photography. This practice has allowed her to travel the world for photoshoots, training and mentoring photographers along the way. Kimber has 9 years of experience creating and shooting professional portrait photography, and has features and awards from around the world, including 50+ publications. Kimber is a registered Nurse, BSN, a certified freediver, and a technical cave diver. She is a Florida Springs Conservation Advocate, Communications Advisory Member Emeritus – Florida Springs Council.

  • Yasmine "Yazz" Atmore

    Yazz Atmore (she/her) is a community organizer, creative & educator currently mentoring and creating with young emerging artists as they explore their lives, stories, and passions through the beauty of art. Constantly, inspired by the youth + community she works with, Yazz continues to develop & deepen her own artistry as a collagist, muralist & floral enthusiast. Her art explores and dabbles in the themes of spirituality, ancient and ancestral wisdom, nature & afro-futurism through storytelling, collaging and the building/ re-building of worlds. Her work is also heavily influenced by her spiritual journey as she loves exploring the spirit world with Spirit, Ancestors & her Spirit Team. As an expressionist intuitive mixed media artist she creates breathtaking floral pieces, hand cut collage and digital works, with the use of bright bold colors, metallic paints, gold leaf and flowers.

  • Sierra Jeter

    CURATOR

    Sierra (she/they) is an Afro-Indegenous multidisciplinary artist, ancestral medicine practitioner and storyteller based in Denver, CO, USA. Her work incorporates a range of mediums including photography, videography, acrylic pouring, immersive installations and storytelling-driven work, inviting reflection and transformation. With an extensive background and training in visual arts and organizing for collective liberation, she blends modern tools with visual art to help her community, artists and wellness professionals heal, express and create meaningful experiences. As an Afro-indegenous artist, she feels a deep responsibility to honor her ancestors and use her gifts in service of truth, justice, and collective liberation. Her work centers the legacies and experiences of Black and Brown beloveds.

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