Yah Know
By Mía Lee
Special presentation in collaboration with Chance The Rapper

MOCA is collaborating with Chance The Rapper for a special, week-long presentation at MOCA Grand Avenue of Yah Know, 2022 by Mía Lee. The painting is on view in the storefront window of the Marcia Simon Weisman Works on Paper Study Center on the Plaza of MOCA Grand Avenue.

Yah Know is a representation of generations of storytelling, particularly within Black families. It’s the recalling of personal stories about the journey one had to take told by a grandparent or parent in a first or third-person perspective. This scene shows the characters named “the lady” and “the gentleman” in movement. The explosion in the background represents having to adapt and move forward because of the circumstances that tend to throw one off course. The desolate landscape is for the viewer to fill with their own scene of relatable experiences or the ones they were told in their family. These are the details of the narratives that show vulnerability and honesty while connecting experiences from one generation to another.

Mía Lee (b. 1992) is a contemporary painter and textile designer, born and raised in Chicago. Lee focuses on figurative paintings that depict familiar and human experiences, delicacies of relationships, and emotions from a first and third-person perspective. The patterns she uses are then pulled from her larger paintings and translated into wearable textile items to fully immerse the viewer into her world.

Alongside this special presentation, there will be limited edition products available at MOCA Store. Shop the collection in store and online here!