Travel on I-90 in either direction and eventually you will find this house. Maybe not this house—this house is in Atlanta—but one very similar. Stately, manicured, and luxurious, this home epitomizes a very particular place: Suburbia. Homes like these punctuate the landscape of affluent subdivisions in suburban cities across Northeast Ohio and throughout the country. But who lives in these homes? More specifically, who lives in this home?

Sheila Pree Bright invites you inside such homes through her photographic series, Suburbia. Surveying images of the well-appointed interiors and stylish accessories, we begin to construct identities for the residents. A pink leather purse and strappy heels left at the base of a stairway suggest a love of contemporary fashion and a busy datebook. Wall-length shelves containing books, sculptures, and artifacts imply an interest in art and history.

Among the thirteen works from Suburbia on view at MOCA Cleveland this season, only two portray the residents themselves. Concealed or blurred, these individuals take second stage to the objects and spaces in their homes. Yet, scrutiny reveals that these women—and in fact all of the subjects featured in Suburbia—are black. Herein is the meaning behind this nuanced, self-reflexive series. In Suburbia, Bright explores race and class in the suburbs. In emphasizing a specific African American lifestyle often overlooked or disregarded in mainstream media, the artist makes a critical statement about racial profiles and collective identity in contemporary Suburbia.