Ali LeRoi: Everybody Hates Exhibitions – Reception RSVP

About

LACP is thrilled to announce a solo exhibition by Ali LeRoi, whose work takes us behind the scenes of the TV show Everybody Hates Chris.

Curator

Dr. Rotem Rozental, Los Angeles Center of Photography Executive Director and Chief Curator

Opening Reception

Thursday, April 2nd, 6pm-8pm, 2026 @ LACP Headquarters, 252 S. Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 RSVP Below

About

Two decades had passed since the semi-autobiographical show Everybody Hates Chris first aired; two decades since it profoundly shifted the histories of sitcoms and the representation of Black lives in popular culture. Marking the anniversary, this exhibition delves into the private archive of Ali LeRoi, co-creator, director, producer, and writer, discovering never-before-seen moments he captured with his single-lens reflex camera behind the scenes; moments that chronicle shifts between illusions, fantasies, and real-life experiences, the shaping of collective cultural memory, and personal negotiations around idealized family structures—moments that harbor joy, pain, guilt, longing, shame, and love. So much love.

The title of the show speaks to the need and desire to let go of any signs of performativity; to dwell in the messiness of family life, set life, creative life, and share them without hesitation.

Loosely based on comedian Chris Rock’s life, Everybody Hates Chris was pivotal for the shaping of a new era on the small screen, of TV shows that catered specifically to black audiences. Rock and LeRoi infused the plotlines and the character design with references to their own family units, sometimes unconsciously. LeRoi sometimes surprised himself, discovering personal memories or manifestations of his mother or other family members in the physical embodiment of the set. There is a double exposure of illusions in these images – as LeRoi captured the goings-on of life on set, of the creative family formed between and during takes, he exhumed and articulated illusions that harbor fragments of memory and fiction, embodied by the physical presence of actors. It’s a world within a world, layered and complex, present but almost never fully realized.

Back to Show page HERE.

Tickets

Admission is FREE. Please RSVP below. Suggested Donation HERE

Details

• Date: Thursday, April 2nd, 6pm-8pm PST
• Free and Open to the Public
• Location: Downtown Los Angeles (LACP Headquarters), 252 S. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.
• Parking: Street parking, Public parking: Terasaki Budokan Recreation Center (paid, underground, just across the street from LACP) and Joe’s Auto Parks Parking, 330 Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (paid, surface).

If you have additional questions please email info@lacphoto.org.

Add to Calendar