14/04/2026
Trial By Carbon
Curated by/ A Cura di BHMF + ABIGAIL SHIM, BELLE HALT, KATIE WHITTIER, LILLIANA WALSH
📅 16/04 at 19:00
📍 The Recovery Plan, Via Santa Reparata 19r
Trial By Carbon examines the transformative collaboration between the prolific writer William Demby and the American artist Bob Brennen, as evidenced in their interdisciplinary 1959 exhibition Jam Sessions on Scrolls. The present exhibition is inspired by unpublished materials from the William Demby archive and seeks to offer new insight into the author’s artistic involvement in post-war Rome.
For the first time since its original presentation, the contents of Jam Sessions on Scrolls an exhibition originally hosted Al Ferro di Cavallo, in Rome, are displayed, shedding light on previously overlooked aspects of Demby’s work as a trailblazer within the Roman Neo-Avant Garde, at the intersection of visual art and the written word.
Echoing the experimental nature of Demby and Brennen’s collaboration, visitors are invited to participate directly in the convergence of mark-making and writing, with the opportunity to create their own stamped impressions on postcards. In doing so, viewers are offered a more immediate understanding of Demby’s creative process, while also being prompted toward further experimentation.
Through this exhibition, we aim to revisit the impact of Jam Sessions on Scrolls and to reconsider it as a testament to the Roman Avant Garde of the 50’s and the enduring and productive relationship between artists and writers.
This project is part of Externalizing our Interns, an initiative designed to share the work of the Interns of The Recovery Plan in a public forum. The research of this project is a part of Black archive Alliance, a platform dedicated to valorizing personal and public archives through alternative strategies of design and sharing.