The summer in Chicago is when the city truly comes alive. Street festivals block major streets and divert traffic. Bars pack in as many people as possible. The yearly debate over the concrete beach or the sand beach is debated, again. It’s been rainy this summer. I’ve come home drenched in rainwater, smelling like the earth. The mosquitoes have fed off my body more than usual, the wet summer their breeding period. We hold onto the joy of the summer, despite the rain and bugs. In Chicago, it won’t be long before the heat is gone and we’re shuffling through a snowy tundra.

        The summer we’ve been having in Chicago is mirrored in the mixed-media pieces of Lavar Munroe’s exhibition, “DANCE WITH MY FATHER AGAIN.” The five pieces depict various participants of a Junkanoo, a bi-annual Bahamian funeral procession. This exhibition comes shortly after Munroe’s attempt at collaborating with his father. Together, Munroe sought to create pieces centered around his father, who was a parasailing instructor that would repair and braid parachutes by hand. After the passing of Munroe’s father, that previous exhibition was shelved, but the essence of mentorship and legacy remain in his work.

        The start of the Junkanoo begins with ROLLIN BY THE RIVER. Five figures lead the parade in dance and song. The white streaks throughout the piece symbolize rain, signaling a strong connection between the spirit world and the physical. Halos surround our performers and native insects scurry around the performers. There’s a vibrant red moon, a total lunar eclipse, which signals an exploration of the emotions we keep hidden, such as grief. Bright greens and pinks outline our participants, and the sky combines vibrant ceruleans and lavenders in a fey-like dream. Despite that this is a funeral procession, ROLLING BY THE RIVER is full of life.

        A Junkanoo is celebrated at various times throughout the calendar year, however, the two largest are held on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The parades encourage marchers to make outfits out of found materials. The crafting part of the process is integral to the grieving process. These same found materials can be seen throughout the pieces of “DANCE WITH MY FATHER AGAIN.” In a past exhibition at Venice Biennale, in collaboration with Munroe’s mentor, John Beadle, Munroe explains that the connection between the physical world and the spiritual world is what enhances a person’s spirituality.

        The marcher In QUEEN TO A KING is dressed in green Bahamian fabric and newspaper down the center of her dress. Other found materials are the peace earring and pink flower decorating the “queen.” While in WHEN I GET TO THAT CITY OF GOLD, lace in the shape of skulls is camouflaged in the ocean. Tassels run along the edge of the figure’s garments. Various beads are placed in the sand, and the same newspaper is cut in the shape of the figure’s leg.

        Using found materials for Munroe’s art parallels using materials for the Junkanoo costumes. Apart from depicting a spiritual celebration, his artistic practice itself is spiritual. The materials used for the Junkanoo costumes would normally be discarded. Repurposing these materials for art rekindles the connection between the physical and spiritual. Not only is Munroe using his work to grieve his father, but he is also strengthening his connection to his spiritual side, memorializing his father and the Junkanoo materials forever.

        Munroe’s spiritual practice can also be seen in I KNEW YOU AS A FATHER, I KNOW YOU AS A FRIEND. The piece shares the same found materials as the others. Throughout it, you can also see the instinctual splattering of paint. There is black paint tracing across the feet of the marchers. Other streams of white flow throughout the sand. None of it is done methodically, but with intuition. Even the way Munroe depicts the rain, without pattern or symmetry, speaks to his emotional process. Munroe is navigating through his relationship with his father, now that he has passed, and through his relationship without him in the physical world.

        In the title piece, DANCE WITH MY FATHER AGAIN, there’s an older figure in a suit, guiding a younger marcher in the Junkanoo. Beads and bells adorn the older figure’s suit. As the elder stands behind the younger marcher, he is acting as a mentor, helping guide the next generation. The piece is a direct homage to the mentors of Munroe, whether it be his father or John Beadle—these two men’s legacies being direct influences on Munroe’s art, as well as his spirituality. As both artistic and spiritual mentors to him, Monroe celebrates these men with each Junkanoo and each work. The works in “DANCE WITH MY FATHER AGAIN” hold the legacy of all the marchers and mentors that led Lavar Munroe to where he is today. Each drop of paint colors a beautiful past full of wisdom, grief, and joy.

        The sense of spirituality through the lens of tradition and celebration is so integral to so many of our mundane rituals. Even in the Chicago summer, as we enjoy the heat, even despite the storms, I’m reminded of so many yearly traditions. Whether it’s jumps in the lake or celebrating pride, these are all traditions that replicate and honor so many that have come before. Munroe’s practice of using found materials—everyday objects—shows just how you can honor the past and grieve those we have lost in any capacity.

Andrew Hart Benson (they/them/theirs) is a queer writerand editor based in Chicago. To contact, find them on Instagram @abensxn.