Justen LeRoy's Lay Me Down in Praise continues at Surrey Art Gallery and UrbanScreen this October
Three-channel film exhibition asks what the Earth sounds like, drawing on Black environmentalism, resistance, and liberation
SPONSORED POST BY Surrey Art Gallery
Installation view of Lay Me Down in Praise at UrbanScreen. Photo by Michael Love
Surrey Art Gallery’s three-channel film exhibition Lay Me Down in Praise with L.A.-based artist Justen LeRoy is currently on view offsite at UrbanScreen until October 25 and at Surrey Art Gallery until March 1, 2026. Admission is free.
LeRoy’s creative practice is deeply rooted in his upbringing in Crenshaw, Los Angeles—a neighbourhood rich in cultural history and Black identities. The environment shaped his worldview and instilled in him a deep awareness of social narratives, resistance, and collective memory. Crenshaw’s vibrant energy, layered histories, and sense of place resonate throughout LeRoy’s work, especially in how he shares Black expressions through sound.
Video still of Justen LeRoy’s Lay Me Down in Praise, 2022.
Black musical traditions also play a central role in his practice—not just as background or influence, but as a language itself. He draws on the emotional depth and the spirit of gospel, and the ancestral memory embedded in song and vocalizations to engage with themes of survival, beauty, and the environment.
Lay Me Down in Praise is a film that speaks to Black environmentalism, Black resistance, and Black liberation by blending visuals and sound with scenes of geological activity that demonstrate resilience and renewal. LeRoy’s work and practice speak to the importance of Black people reclaiming space with nature. Through sound, he gives voice to Black experiences, using the fluid, soulful qualities of R&B to construct immersive sonic landscapes.
Video still of Justen LeRoy’s Lay Me Down in Praise, 2022.
“Lay me Down in Praise invites viewers to listen to the Earth through the resonant frequencies of Black liberation,” writes associate curator Suvi Bains in a release. “The work challenges us to reimagine climate change not as a distant crisis, but as an interconnected struggle for justice, asking: What does the Earth sound like when we center Black voices, histories, and futures? It calls on us to educate ourselves beyond dominant narratives, to see environmental harm and racial injustice as intertwined, and to embrace healing that begins with listening.”
The film is commissioned by California African American Museum with support from Teiger Foundation, Serial Pictures, and Los Angeles Nomadic Division. Additional support comes from Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Black Arts Centre and We The Roses Foundation are community partners.
Post sponsored by Surrey Art Gallery.
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