The question of identity is at the forefront of the next installment of Thea Foundation’s The Art Department quarterly series on Friday, Nov. 2.

Featuring the photography of Joshua Asante, the exhibition titled "My Selves In Constant Dissonance/My Selves In Perfected Harmony" serves to spark a conversation on race, duplicity and human nature.

"The African in America soon found there to be a twoness in which she/he was to exist. To be both bondsperson and boundless, to be property yet priceless, to yearn for love and home and to possess neither, save for the confines of her/his master’s debased will," Asante says. "From that duplicity, a vast splintering of human identity was spawned and finds its way into the now. In these photographic and mixed media works, I explore the complex navigational skills required to move about the social tapestry of present day life on this side of the Atlantic.

"We are all layering and shapeshifting in a constant flux of longing; for a safe space to simply exist without fear of deprivation or violence against our minds and bodies. We shape selves atop selves within other selves, birthing even more in pursuit of the full right of citizenship and the liberties/protections thereof. It is exhausting. It is maddening. It is as necessary as the hope that somehow weaves into our cultural DNA also."

The opening reception kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and is $15 at the door. That includes hors d'oeuvres, an open beer and wine bar and the chance to win an original print by Asante. His exhibit runs through Nov. 30.

The Thea Foundation gallery’s hours are 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday, and it's located at 401 Main St. in North Little Rock. For more information, call (501) 379-9512 or click here.