Tag: ArtAboveReality

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Editorial

Moveables at ICA Philadelphia

ICA-MOVEABLES Exhibition at ICA Philadelphia. 2023. Photo by Badir McCleary
ICA-MOVEABLES Exhibition at ICA Philadelphia. 2023. Photo by Badir McCleary

Moveables at ICA Philadelphia

Moveables at ICA Philadelphia featuring Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi.

I recently visited ICA Philly to explore the exhibition titled “Movables,” featuring five remarkable artists: Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi. These artists are reimagining functional design and its intimate connection to the human body. In the context of this exhibition, “movables” encompass any non-permanent articles within a building, such as furniture. As I wandered through the gallery, I couldn’t help but reflect on the idea that we, as visitors, are also “movables” in this space, constantly navigating to take in the diverse artworks on display. I found it intriguing how the exhibition’s press release failed to capture the depth of conceptual thought required to fully grasp and appreciate the artworks.

Upon entering the gallery, Jes Fan’s sculptural creations immediately caught my attention. They evoked images of precious gem-encrusted crustaceans, skillfully crafted and seamlessly blending into the surrounding environment, their forms flowing like liquid. Oren Pinhassi’s sculptures, crafted from sand, burlap, and plaster, transported me to a world where natural materials like earth, water, and fertilizer were the only tools needed for creation and growth. His work “Untitled, 2019” brought a smile to my face, as I initially mistook the green branch pads for mint leaves and the sculpture for toothpaste, only to discover its invitation to “oral activity.” His “One in the Mouth, Ine in the Heart, 2018” piece, composed of umbrellas, humorously represented being out of alignment, and the cup holder added a layer of whimsy, suggesting the collection of others’ problems.

Moveables at ICA Philadelphia featuring Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi.
Moveables at ICA Philadelphia featuring Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi.
Moveables at ICA Philadelphia featuring Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi.

Hannah Levy’s sculptures conjured images of prehistoric bird traps with their fierce talon-like forms, juxtaposed against the gallery’s lighting. In “Untitled, 2021,” steel talons seemed to tear or stretch silicone resembling human skin, creating a captivating blend of discomfort and fascination. I regretted missing the performance associated with “Untitled, 2023,” as I imagined something epic involving steel heels. Ken Lum’s couch installation triggered nostalgic memories of childhood sleepovers and the excitement of assembling living room couches for acrobatics inspired by superhero films. The mirrors in the installation, a common fixture in many Black families’ homes in Philadelphia, added depth to the narrative. The setup, with one side promoting closeness and the other fostering individualized seating, subtly encourages reflection on familial bonds and the passage of time.

Nikita Gale’s work initially gave me the impression of being a production associated with the exhibition until a gallery attendant clarified its nature. During our conversation, we delved into the role of pop culture and the direction of light in selecting stars. It struck me how light, much like one’s time in the “spotlight,” moves swiftly—an allusion that resonated with Warholian sensibilities.

In conclusion, my visit to ICA Philly’s “Movables” exhibition was a thought-provoking journey into the world of contemporary art, where functional design intersects with the human experience. The artists—Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi—each offered a unique perspective on this theme, leaving a lasting impression.

Words by Badir McCleary.

Moveables at ICA Philadelphia featuring Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi.
Moveables at ICA Philadelphia featuring Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi.
Moveables at ICA Philadelphia featuring Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi.
Moveables at ICA Philadelphia featuring Jes Fan, Nikita Gale, Hannah Levy, Ken Lum, and Oren Pinhassi.

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Projects

“Remote”, a new Web Series presented in partnership with Not Real Art World

Remote: Exploring Public Art with Badir McCleary

We have been holding this secret for way too long and now we are excited to announce that we are releasing “Remote”, a 6-part web series focused on exploring Public Art! I had the pleasure of partnering with my good friend Scott “Sourdough” Power on this amazing project and can’t wait for you all to enjoy, critique, and repeat! It will be released in the social media and YouTube realms this weekend and also on ArtAboveReality.com! I’m so thrilled about this and looking forward to your comments and more! Check out the trailer and read the show details below!

In a world adorned with vibrant creativity and captivating stories, lies a secret waiting to be uncovered. Welcome to ‘Remote,’ the art series that takes you on a mesmerizing journey to the hidden corners of the globe, where art installations breathe life into cities, communities, and souls.

Join us as we embark on an extraordinary exploration, peeling back the layers of public art’s profound impact. From towering sculptures to interactive murals, each stroke and structure holds a tale, a testament to the boundless imagination of artists who dared to dream big. Our mission is simple: to unveil the enigmatic stories woven into these artistic marvels. We’ll delve deep into the heart of each artwork, unraveling its message, dissecting its symbolism, and celebrating the incredible minds behind its creation.

‘Remote’ is a journey that transcends the canvas and embraces the profound connections between art, communities, and the human experience. Together, we’ll uncover how public art breathes life into forgotten neighborhoods, ignites conversations, and transforms entire cities into living galleries of inspiration. Get ready to embark on a global quest, where artistry knows no boundaries and every brushstroke, every sculpture, tells a tale waiting to be heard. Welcome to ‘Remote,’ where art’s untold stories come to life. Watch the series exclusively on Not Real Art!

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Fallen Through The Cracks

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Annie Pettway Lewis Bendolph

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Annie Pettway Lewis Bendolph

Fallen Through The Cracks – Annie Pettway Lewis Bendolph

Annie Pettway Lewis Bendolph

#FallenThroughTheCracks – Annie Pettway Lewis Bendolph was born between 1892 and 1900 in rural Alabama. She was a textile artist and one of the esteemed quilters of the Gee’s Bend Quilters collective, a group of African-American women who gained international recognition for their unique quilting style and craftsmanship. Her mother passed away when she was a young child. She had one sibling, Timothy, who sang in gospel choirs in the neighboring town of Camden, Alabama.

She comes from a community with a rich quilting heritage and her skills have been passed down through generations. Annie married Jacob Bendolph and raised 16 children many of whom became prominent quilters including Bettie Bendolph Seltzer. Many families often had their distinct styles, patterns, and designs. Bendolph’s quilts were made exclusively of utilitarian, recycled materials, such as old clothes and empty sacks.

Annie Pettway Lewis Bendolph, Photo by Arthur Rothstein, 1937.
Pettway Family Group, Photo by Arthur Rothstein, 1937.

Bendolph employed an improvisational approach to quilt-making piecing together various fabric scraps without relying on predetermined templates. The quilts contain vibrant color palettes which contribute to the impact and energy of her works. Exercising a departure from classical quilt making, adopting a more minimalist quality influenced by the isolation of her location and materials available. She has played a significant role in preserving and promoting the quilting tradition of Gee’s Bend. Her work is included in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Annie Pettway Lewis Bendolph passed away in 1981.

(Text paraphrased from Wikipedia and other sources. All Images are the property of the copyright owners. This clip is for educational purposes.)

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Fallen Through The Cracks

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Robert Hamilton Blackburn

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Robert Hamilton Blackburn

Fallen Through The Cracks – Robert Hamilton Blackburn

Robert Hamilton Blackburn

#FallenThroughTheCracks – Robert Hamilton Blackburn was born on December 12, 1920, in Summit, New Jersey, but grew up in Harlem, where his family moved when he was seven years old. He was an artist, teacher, and master printmaker. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, where he worked on the literary magazine The Magpie as a writer and artist alongside his counterpart James Baldwin.

Blackburn studied lithography and other printmaking techniques with Riva Helfond, who taught him how to operate the press. He worked at the Uptown Community Workshop, a gathering place for black artists and writers which allowed him to meet artists such as Romare Bearden, Aaron Douglas, and Jacob Lawrence. Blackburn attended the Art Students League and won a School Arts League Award and an Art Students League Working Scholarship for further study. 

Blackburn working with Robert Rauschenberg, 1962. Image courtesy of the Rauscheburg Foundation.
Robert Blackburn teaching in a workshop. Courtesy of the Estate of Robert Hamilton Blackburn. ©

In 1947, Robert Blackburn established the Printmaking Workshop, an 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) loft at 114 West 17th Street in New York City. The workshop’s program included classes, an open studio area, and print shops where artists could experiment with different techniques. In 1971, Blackburn established a board of trustees and incorporated the Printmaking Workshop as a nonprofit. 

The Workshop has amassed a comprehensive collection of artists’ prints and by 1997, over 2,500 of these works had been deposited with the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Smaller selections of prints have been placed with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and El Museo Del Barrio in New York City.

In 1987, he received the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Award and received a MacArthur fellowship in 1992. The Printmaking Workshop received a Governor’s Art Award from the New York State Council on the Arts in 1988. Robert Blackburn died on April 21, 2003 (aged 82) in New York City, New York.

(Text paraphrased from Wikipedia and other sources. All Images are the property of the copyright owners. This clip is for educational purposes.)

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Fallen Through The Cracks

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Ruth Gilliam Waddy

PhotoCredit: John Wilson White Studio Phocasso [email protected] www.phocasso.com San Francisco, Ca 94110 415-264-6969

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Ruth Gilliam Waddy

Fallen Through The Cracks – Ruth Gilliam Waddy

Ruth Gilliam Waddy

#FallenThroughTheCracks – Ruth Gilliam Waddy was born Willanna Ruth Gilliam on January 7, 1909, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was an American artist, printmaker, activist, and editor who was known for her practice of linocut printmaking and was in her fifties when she turned to art as a career. Her highly contracted prints featured stories about African-American visibility. 

She attended the University of Minnesota with hopes of teaching but had to leave school to help support her family during the Great Depression. She moved with her young daughter to Los Angeles to find work as a riveter at Douglas Aircraft Corporation. After the war, she worked at a county hospital, where one of her co-workers was artist Noah Purifoy.

Ruth Gilliam Waddy, Untitled Series B, 1969. Estate of Ruth Gilliam Waddy. Credit: John Wilson White, Studio Phocasso.
Ruth Gilliam Waddy, The Fence, 1969. Estate of Ruth Gilliam Waddy. Credit: John Wilson White, Studio Phocasso.

In 1966, her work was part of “The Negro in American Art,” a traveling exhibition funded by the California Arts Commission, and took on a cross-country bus trip to collect artworks for Prints by American Negro Artists (1967). With artist Samella Lewis, she edited Black Artists on Art (1969 and 1971). Waddy and Lewis are considered two of the “founding mothers” of the Black Arts Movement in California.

She founded an organization of artists called Art West Associated which extended the groundbreaking work of co-op galleries and helped promote the work of Black artists in the 60s and 70s in Los Angeles. She was one of twelve African-American artists honored by the Los Angeles Bicentennial in 1981, received an honorary doctorate from Otis Art Institute in 1987, and received a lifetime achievement award from the Women’s Caucus for Art in 2001. Her papers are at the Amistad Research Center, Tulane University. Ruth G. Waddy died on May 24, 2003, at age 94, in San Francisco, California.

(Text paraphrased from Wikipedia and other sources. All Images are the property of the copyright owners. This clip is for educational purposes.)

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Fallen Through The Cracks

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: William Henry Johnson

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: William Henry Johnson

Fallen Through The Cracks – William Henry Johnson

William Henry Johnson

#FallenThroughTheCracks – William Henry Johnson was born on March 18, 1901, in Florence, South Carolina. He was a painter who worked with a variety of media, often just using the materials that were available on hand to create his work. His works emphasized vivid and vibrant colors alongside simplistic figures. His depictions of African-American culture were pulled from his upbringing in the rural South. He immersed himself in African-American culture and traditions, from realism to expressionism to constructing images that were represented by their folk art plainness. He moved to New York City at the age of 17 saving enough money to pay for classes at the National Academy of Design. In the fall of 1927, he moved to Paris, where he learned modernism, and had his first solo exhibition at the Students and Artists Club. He moved back to the U.S. in 1929 and fellow artists encouraged him to enter his work at the Harmon Foundation, and as a result, Johnson received the Harmon gold medal in fine arts.

William Henry Johnson, Training For War, Courtesy of the Estate of William Henry Johnson ©
William Henry Johnson, Riffs and Relations , Courtesy of the Estate of William Henry Johnson ©

Johnson ultimately found work as a teacher at the Harlem Community Art Center where he and other teachers instructed about 600 students per week meeting important Harlem artists such as Gwendolyn Knight. William Henry Johnson no longer painted after 1955 and died on April 13, 1970, in Central Islip, NY. The William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts was established in 2001 in honor of his 100th birthday and has awarded the William H. Johnson Prize annually to an early career African American artist. In 2012, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in Johnson’s honor, recognizing him as one of the nation’s foremost African-American artists and a major figure in 20th-century American art.

(Text paraphrased from Wikipedia and other sources. All Images are the property of the copyright owners. This clip is for educational purposes.)

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Fallen Through The Cracks

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Nancy Elizabeth Prophet

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Nancy Elizabeth Prophet

Fallen Through The Cracks – Nancy Elizabeth Prophet

Nancy Elizabeth Prophet

#FallenThroughTheCracks – Nancy Elizabeth Prophet was born on March 19, 1890, in Warwick, Rhode Island. She was an artist of African-American and Native-American ancestry, known specifically for her sculpture. In 1914, at the age of 24, Prophet enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. She was the only African American student and graduate amongst a predominantly white female school population. After graduation, She attempted to find work as a portrait painter full-time but was unsuccessful. She painted portraits of residents to earn money to travel to France and in 1922, Prophet moved to Paris to study sculpture at L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts. She left the school because she believed she could teach herself faster than working under a mentor. One of her most prominent works, Negro Head, is a larger-than-life-size wooden sculpture. W.E.B. DuBois and Countee Cullen helped Prophet submit her work to exhibitions in the United States while she lived overseas and she won the Harmon Prize for Best Sculpture in 1929.

Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Courtesy of the Estate of Nancy Elizabeth Prophet ©
Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Courtesy of the Estate of Nancy Elizabeth Prophet ©

In 1934, Prophet began teaching students at both #SpelmanCollege and #AtlantaUniversity, expanding the curriculum to include modeling and the history of art and architecture. She had hopes of encouraging the creative minds of youth, the encouragement she was not presented with during her early years as she often welcomed students to her own home. In 1935 and 1937, she participated in the #WhitneyMuseum Sculpture Biennials and the Sculpture International exhibition at the #PhiladelphiaMuseumofArt in 1940. Her sculpture, #Congolaise, became one of the first works by an African American acquired by the Whitney Museum. Nancy Elizabeth Prophet died on December 13, 1960, in Providence, Rhode Island at 70.

(Text paraphrased from Wikipedia and other sources. All Images are the property of the copyright owners. This clip is for educational purposes.)

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Fallen Through The Cracks

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Merton Simpson

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Merton Simpson

Fallen Through The Cracks – Merton Simpson

Merton Simpson

#FallenThroughTheCracks – Merton Simpson was born on September 20, 1928, in Charleston, South Carolina. He was an abstract expressionist painter and African and tribal art collector and dealer. Growing up in a segregated South, Simpson was not allowed to take art classes at the city-run Gibbes Gallery where his mentor artist William Melton Halsey worked. In 1949, his wife Corrie, and former director of the Charleston Museum, Laura Bragg, sponsored his first solo art show. They held two separate receptions; “one for whites and one for whites who didn’t mind coming to a reception with blacks.”

Simpson was the first African American to receive a prestigious five-year fellowship from the Charleston Scientific and Cultural Education fund and left South Carolina for New York City after finishing high school. He took classes at New York University (NYU) during the day and at Cooper Union at night also working at a framing shop where well-known artists would frequent. He credited the frame shop for giving him his “real education”.

Merton Simpson, Maternal Orchestration, From the Estate of Merton Simpson ©
Merton Simpson Collection, From the Estate of Merton Simpson ©

In 1951 his work appeared in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and in 1954 his work was displayed in the Younger American Painters exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum. The Harlem Riot of 1964 which Simpson witnessed firsthand, had a particular impact on his painting. The artist responded by creating the so-called “Confrontation” series of paintings that featured schematized black and white faces inter-meshed in an intense encounter. 

The Merton D. Simpson Gallery of Modern and Tribal Arts is famous for its exceptional collection of Tribal arts and for artworks by his contemporaries. As his knowledge and experience in the field grew he eventually became known as one of the most prominent dealers of traditional African art in the world and the international art world at large.

​​Merton Simpson died on March 9, 2013, in New York City. He was 84 years old.

(Text paraphrased from Wikipedia and other sources. All Images are the property of the copyright owners. This clip is for educational purposes.)

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Fallen Through The Cracks

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Valerie Maynard

Fallen Through The Cracks – Black Artists in History: Valerie Maynard

Fallen Through The Cracks – Cliff Joseph

Valerie Maynard

#FallenThroughTheCracks – Valerie Jean Maynard was born on August 22, 1937, in New York City, NY. She was a sculptor, teacher, printmaker, and designer who addressed themes of social inequality and the civil rights movement. She studied painting and drawing at the Museum of Modern Art, printmaking at the New School for Social Research, and earned a master’s in Art and Sculpture in 1977 at Vermont’s Goddard College.

Maynard taught at the Studio Museum in Harlem, at Howard University, the University of the Virgin Islands, and the Baltimore School for the Arts. She specialized in the preservation and restoration of traditional art by people of color. She re-contextualized motifs from the Middle Passage and the Civil Rights Movement into her work, offering commentary on the struggle of those in the African diaspora to achieve and maintain equal rights. In January 1977, Maynard was part of a contingent of hundreds of African-American artists who represented the North American Zone, exhibiting in FESTAC 77, the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture in Lagos, Nigeria.

In 2003, Maynard was commissioned to create a series of glass mosaic murals entitled Polyrhythmics of Consciousness and Light which is permanently installed in the subway station on 125th Street in New York City. In 2021, she received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Valerie Maynard died on September 19, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland at the age of 85.

Valerie Maynard, Photography BMA/The Baltimore Museum of Art
Valerie Maynard, Photography BMA/The Baltimore Museum of Art

(Text paraphrased from Wikipedia and other sources. All Images are the property of the copyright owners. This clip is for educational purposes.)

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Interviews and Conversations

The Identity Theft Collection by Chukes

The Identity Theft Collection by Chukes, A Film Series by ArtAboveReality

“This body of work is my creative voice. I have titled it, Identity Theft; Creations from a Social Consciousness.

I began working on the majority of these pieces at the beginning of 2016 and some date earlier than that. I initially created this work as a protest toward the televised brutality and killings of Black people and people of color. These killings were not only happening in America but throughout the world.

As I look back at my own history, as well as researching world history, I reflect on what I have been taught about myself and other darker-skinned people of the world. The work in this exhibit is my artistic representation of what happens when people or nations of people are stripped of their indigenous identity and re-taught a history that historically filters the truth and presents an incorrect version of past and present injustices. This filtered history, as I call it, is being used against us as a weapon of self-destruction.” – Chukes

IdentityTheft by Chukes: Episode One – Prehistoric Woman
IdentityTheft by Chukes: Episode Two – Eve
IdentityTheft by Chukes: Episode Three – The Time Traveler
IdentityTheft by Chukes: Episode Four – Royalty A.K.A. The Dope Dealer