Brooklyn Museum Unveils Outdoor Installation by UOVO Prize Recipient Keisha Scarville
Opening May 8, Keisha Scarville: Where Salt Meets Black Water will activate the Brooklyn Museum’s Iris Cantor Plaza. Designed by Brooklyn-born photographer and recipient of the 2026 UOVO Prize, Keisha Scarville (born Brooklyn, New York, 1975), the site-specific outdoor installation transforms individual remembrance and loss into communal memory and shared belonging while offering a meaningful tribute to the Caribbean diaspora. Where Salt Meets Black Water will be on view through October 2026.
Rooted in a practice that combines photography, collage, and archival materials, Scarville’s work explores themes of migration, memory, and absence through a deeply personal lens. Born in Brooklyn to Guyanese parents who immigrated to New York in the 1960s, the artist draws from her own family history to examine the emotional resonance of inherited objects and images. The Museum’s stoop and adjacent walls feature vinyl reproductions of black-and-white photographs and still lifes, many drawn from Scarville’s series Mama’s Clothes, in which she overlays imagery onto garments that belonged to her mother. By bringing together photography, fabric, and architectural space, Scarville creates a gathering place for healing on the steps of the Iris Cantor Plaza.
As the recipient of this year’s UOVO Prize, Scarville will also unveil a mural on the facade of UOVO’s Brooklyn facility in Bushwick. Scarville’s installation on the facade of UOVO Brooklyn features an archival photograph that her mother purchased when she moved to the United States in the 1960s, and which Scarville has preserved. This image depicting a mother and child is juxtaposed against a garment belonging to the artist’s mother. Both works offer a poignant tribute to Scarville’s mother, evoking her memory through textiles and photography.
“Upon my mother’s passing, all her belongings came into my possession, forming a bridge between her life and my work. Over time, my relationship with these items has changed—they have shifted from being everyday objects to becoming sacred emblems that hold memories and carry emotional significance for me,” says Scarville. “I invite others to engage and dwell within these visual spaces, where her presence, the Caribbean, and Brooklyn are all vibrant and alive.”
On view just before Mother’s Day, the installation offers a timely space for reflection on motherhood and enduring connection. On Sunday, May 10, the Museum will host a day of programming tied to Mother’s Day, honoring mothers, caregivers, and loved ones with creative hands-on experiences for all ages. Visitors can make vibrant bouquets from a mobile flower truck presented in partnership with Brownstone Botanical, join pop-up talks that explore motherhood in art, and create Mother’s Day cards inspired by Where Salt Meets Black Water.
“Scarville’s work transforms the language of photography and material into something deeply personal yet universally felt,” says Pauline Vermare, Phillip and Edith Leonian Curator of Photography, Brooklyn Museum. “Opening this installation in time with Mother’s Day feels especially meaningful, honoring the enduring bond between mother and daughter while inviting visitors to reflect on their own loved ones who have shaped their lives.”
Keisha Scarville: Where Salt Meets Black Water is organized by Pauline Vermare, Phillip and Edith Leonian Curator of Photography, Brooklyn Museum.