Tough Skin, Soft Ribs  

October 20–December 12, 2025
Jeffrey J. Hoone Gallery, Light Work

Syracuse, NY, US

“Light Work presents Tough Skin, Soft Ribs, a selection of photographs from our collection by Marcus Xavier Chormicle, Jeremy Dennis, Amy Elkins, Tarrah Krajnak, Shelley Niro, Wendy Red Star, Pamela Shields, Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, Kathy Vargas, and Cristina Velásquez. This exhibition is curated by Cali M. Banks, who manages communications and outreach at Light Work.

Resistant to nineteenth-century staged portraits of Indigenous people and the posed photographic work of Edward S. Curtis, the chosen artists confront colonial frameworks of Northern, Central, and Southern Indigeneity. This grouping of artists points back to the Four Directions, a cultural foundation that honors a holistic view of our interconnectedness; a place where borders do not exist, and we can join together as relatives. Through spectacles of Indigenous tropes, satire, religious testaments, diasporic histories, and fantasy, these artists are unpacking stereotypes, forcing a reclamation of personal and collective identities.

The title, Tough Skin, Soft Ribs, is a metaphor that harnesses notions of strength in our bodies, and also our immense ability to heal. Tough skin is a symbol of resilience, and the softening of our bones contextualizes the warm foundation of our humanity. The tenderness of ribs also alludes to laughter, and the use of humor to relieve pain. The artists in this exhibition engage with softer modes of behavior, such as play, intergenerational care, and the representation of self, to dive deeper into the internal and external conflicts of identity. As the work of these artists subverts outdated viewpoints related to race and gender, memories get caught in our bones, softening them over time.

Tough Skin, Soft Ribs pulls exclusively from the Light Work Collection, including artwork from the 1990s to the present day. From utilizing digital imaging, to large format film, to alternative darkroom processes, these works create a multifaceted view of identity, balancing tradition with modernity.”

⎯ Cali M. Banks