Just in time for the highly anticipated debut of the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, HBO has announced the launch of “The HeLa Project,” a multimedia exhibition inspired by the film.
The Immortal Life, starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne and directed by George C. Wolfe, is based on Rebecca Skloot’s New York Times bestseller which tells the true story of Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman whose cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line, a.k.a. more #blackgirlmagic for the ages.
@KadirNelson adding detail to Henrietta Lacks 4/7- 9 in @HBO The HeLa Project, 465 W Bway in Soho #kadirnelson #HBO #HenriettaLacks pic.twitter.com/oVCp1d40An
— Kadir Nelson (@KadirNelson) April 6, 2017
Shadow & Act reports that “The HeLa Project” features an original portrait of Lacks by Kadir Nelson; an original poem by Saul Williams; and a moving rendition of “Motherless Children Have a Hard Time” by recording artist Jazmine Sullivan. There will also be additional art by Zoe Buckman, Madeleine Hunt Ehrlich, Doreen Garner and Tomashi Jackson, curated by Lewis Long of Long Gallery Harlem.
Additionally, there will be an educational installation about HeLa cells, which have led to many medical breakthroughs, which is why Lacks is called “The mother of modern medicine.”
The multi-market exhibition will be in NYC this weekend and run April 7 – April 9 in SoHo (465 W. Broadway, Fri – Sat, 11am – 7pm, Sun 12pm – 5pm).
It will be in Atlanta, on April 13 – April 16 at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights & Culture.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks debuts on HBO on Saturday, April 22.