Starting tomorrow evening, Black Mail Collective—a growing group of local black male artists—is taking over Space 236 on Leavenworth Street to shine light on the individuality of black males in San Francisco.

The collective's founder, Arrington "Ace" West (aka "A Guy Called West"), says the show aims to counter the negative picture the media has painted of all black males in this country, while elevating talented black artists whose contributions to the local art scene are being overlooked.

A total of 19 artists are contributing a variety of works—abstract pieces, photographs, a 3-D installation and a live performance—that depict their individual identities, cultures and voices as black males in San Francisco. Together, they tackle a wide variety of issues affecting young black males currently, including the affects of mass incarceration and recent deaths at the hands of police.

One underlying trend West says he's noticed as the show comes together: When drawing black forms, few of the artists used the color brown. And you won't find traditional African tribal motifs—which, for some, will counter expectations of what black art should look like, he noted.

Tomorrow night's opening—6-10pm at 236 Leavenworth—marks the launch of the second Black Mail Show but their first as an official artist collective. The group formed at the end of last year following a successful group show featuring five artists—West, Michael Covington, Chris Martin, Joonbug, and Muzae Sesay—at the Luggage Store on Market Street.

The collaboration began, West said, with his idea that if local galleries weren't willing to represent young black artists, banding together could help them each further their own careers. 

From his experience struggling to make it as an artist in San Francisco, West says the local art business is overlooking young (especially black and brown) artists who've grown up in the city or transplanted here to take part in its world-class art scene. And he fears that homegrown artists—the soul of the city—are becoming disconnected from the rest of the community.

For West, who moved to San Francisco to attend grad school and quickly fell in love, making it as a working artist hasn't been easy. It wasn't until he stopped worrying about bringing attention to his work on social media and refocused on learning the ins and outs of being a working artist while interning at Fifth24SF Gallery that he had a breakthrough, he said.

While he's sure that supporting one another's careers through sharing knowledge and resources will help in the long run, what exactly the Black Mail Collective is is ever-evolving. Each of its members have their own distinct answers to that question, West said.

But he's quite comfortable with that reality. "I don't hold the title of 'The Black Male,'" he said matter of factly.

The exhibition, Black Mail PT. 2, debuts at 6pm tomorrow night, Aug. 20th, and will be on view at Space 236 until October. West notes that guests bringing children to the opening should note that the evening's performance will be performed by a nearly-nude dancer. And if you can't make tomorrow night's opening, not to worry: A second event with the artists will likely follow in September.