The Underground: We Love Bruce Lee

The Underground: A collaborative 14-person immersive exhibition curated by Melorra and Melonie Green in partnership with the African American Art and Culture Complex. The show explores Bruce Lee’s legacy in the African American community.

We Love Bruce Lee Curatorial Statement: “We Love Bruce Lee” is an interactive exhibition installation that shares the beautiful conversation about trust, philosophy, willingness, and love. We Love Bruce Lee beyond the fight. We love his mind and his heart. We trusted him enough to learn from him. We have a deep love and respect for his wisdom, his way of being and his ability to mirror life in a way that we felt connected to. Join us in the Underground to flow through the elements Bruce Lee used to teach us to see ourselves, and ultimately seeing others. We celebrate his legacy through the stories of historical figures, murals, installations, altars, body movement, and narratives.

This exhibition showcases Bruce ’s influence on the Black community from the perspective of some of the Bay Area’s premier Black artists and other creatives of color. Art pieces on display include: A documentary video by Mandeep Sethiand The Mighty Delrokz revealing Bruce’s influence on hip-hop, breakdancing, and martial arts; Four separate site-specific murals from world-renown Bay Area artists APEX, K-Dub, Agana, and Josue Rojas to provide an immersive feel; RTYSTK‘srecreation of Bruce’s fight scene with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s character in Game of Death; Handmade paper cut artworks by Stacy Mootoo; Demetri Broxton‘s handmade boxing robe embroidered with glass beads and cowry shells; An altar piece honoring Bruce created by Kaya Fortune that connects ancestral worship practices across Asian and African cultures; Artist William Rhodes’s interactive quilt celebrating Bruce’s intergenerational and cross-community impact; and Paintings by Tarika Lewis and Omiiroo inspired by Bruce Lee