Categories
Curatorial

Products of Empire

Products Of Empire

How do we look at the results of domination? How have the creation and destruction of empires throughout history affected the movements of governments, corporations, and local organizations? Empire, known primarily in its political form, is a construct of dominance between two states but it also represents an overarching master. The artists in the show look to deconstruct the thought of an empire through empirical research in their art-making.

Dates
January 22nd — February 19th

Location
Art Share L.A.

Artists In The Exhibition:

Abel Alejandre, Morgan Barajas, Sharon Louise Barnes, Lavialle Campbell, Chukes, Pam Douglas, Jonah Elijah, Elmer Guevara, Kiara Aileen Machado, Evan Mendel, Zeal Harris, Allison Honeycutt, Kat Oldershaw, and Sam Pace.

Curator:

Badir McCleary is an independent consultant. He holds an M.A. in Arts Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art (Los Angeles/London) where he focused on emerging art markets. Having extensive contemporary art history knowledge and experience, Badir can tackle large projects with confidence, protecting and tracking deliverables and ensuring high-level success for clients. Badir was the Co-Owner and Director of Gallery 38 (Los Angeles), a project that produced exhibitions for emerging artists of color in South Los Angeles and helped contribute to several public projects globally, helping artists transform communities through visual aesthetics. (​@artabovereality​).

Products of Empire Installation Shot

Artist Talk – Kiara Aileen Machado
Artist Talk – Sharon Barnes
Artist Talk – Pam Douglas
Artist Talk – Abel Alejandre
Artist Talk – Zeal Harris

Categories
Curatorial

Fields, Factories, Fame, and Fallacies

Fields, Factories, Fame, and Fallacies

Dates
August 28th — September 26th

Location
Art Share Los Angeles

Curators Statement

Artists In The Exhibition:

In this exhibition, the artists take a look into the forms of cultural and social reproduction interpreting these forms through materials and experiences. How does each of these categories play a role in the life cycle of humanity? Who are the characters? What are the events? What are the developments? What experiences do we pass along from each culture to advance the larger society? How has the work from the field transferred to large city factories? Where is the relationship between fame and fallacy? At what point does fame become enigmatic? What are the shared values of the art world? Of family? Of life? Marginalized under the media’s eye.

Curator:

Badir McCleary is an independent consultant. He holds an M.A. in Arts Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art (Los Angeles/London) where he focused on emerging art markets. Having extensive contemporary art history knowledge and experience, Badir can tackle large projects with confidence, protecting and tracking deliverables and ensuring high-level success for clients. Badir was the Co-Owner and Director of Gallery 38 (Los Angeles), a project that produced exhibitions for emerging artists of color in South Los Angeles and helped contribute to several public projects globally, helping artists transform communities through visual aesthetics. (​@artabovereality​).


Categories
Curatorial

Defiance Of Juncture

Defiance Of Juncture

What is defiance? Is it an action? An idea? Is it contained within a movement? An object? How does operating in that defiance define the point in time? How does defiance or the definition of defiance differ throughout time? “May You Live In Interesting Times”, the title for the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019, unknowingly predicted the sentiment of humanity just eight months later.

“Interesting Times” would prove to be an understatement, as the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside numerous uprisings in the country, gave way to the defiance of current conditions in many facets of our society. Analyzing these conditions has allowed for constant dialogue among humanity about the actions of the past and present and eventually how they will affect our future. This has given us the opportunity to create what’s to come.

Dates
July 10th — August 20th

Location
Art Share Los Angeles

Curators Statement

Artists In The Exhibition:

@b4_flight, Leigh Barbier (@spongebarbier), Chelle Barbour (@chelle.barbour), Chantal Barlow (@chantalbarlow), Cody Bayne (@codybayne_official), Daniela Garcia (@dahnniii), Amoura Gonzales (@fuckinlame), Samira Idroos(@samiraidroos), Jessi Jumanji (@jessijumanji), Miriam Kruishoop (@mkruishoop), Carmen Mardonez (@desbordado), Michael Massenburg (@mmassenburg), Amy McCormac (@mccormacamy), Rosalyn Myles (@rozmyles), Duane Paul (@duanepaul), Isaac Pelayo (@isaacpelayo), Antonio Pelayo (@antoniopelayoproductions), Prime K2S (@Primek2s), Leigh Salgado (@leighsalgado), and Mark “Bit” Savage (@phenomenalmark).

Curator:

Badir McCleary is an independent consultant. He holds an M.A. in Arts Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art (Los Angeles/London) where he focused on emerging art markets. Having extensive contemporary art history knowledge and experience, Badir can tackle large projects with confidence, protecting and tracking deliverables and ensuring high-level success for clients. Badir was the Co-Owner and Director of Gallery 38 (Los Angeles), a project that produced exhibitions for emerging artists of color in South Los Angeles and helped contribute to several public projects globally, helping artists transform communities through visual aesthetics. (​@artabovereality​).


Categories
Curatorial

Portraits Of Yesteryear

Portraits Of Yesteryear

ArtAboveReality is pleased to present “​Portraits of Yesteryear​”, a group survey highlighting contemporary artists across multiple art practices. What do we remember about yesterday? How has it changed? What’s still as you remember it? Many people across the world have lost family members, jobs, and more which allows them to see through different eyes. These portraits are a reflection of a time we used to know – a show of humanity. Yesteryear, referring to a life-changing event is analyzed throughout these images allowing the artist a moment of reflection, and the viewer a chance to gain the artists’ perspective from their visual stories. Curated by Badir McCleary of ArtAboveReality.

Dates
December 5th — January 5th

Location
Online

Curators Statement

“Live the moment. Cherish the present. Anticipate the future. Frame the yesteryear” – Hlovate

Artists In The Exhibition:

Kwesi Abbensetts (@kwesiabbensetts), Amy McCormac (​@mccormacamy​), GreatJoy Ndlovu (@ngreatjoy1), Kemal Celnigir (@streetwiseLA), Elmer Guevara (@3lmski1), Nema Etebar (@nemaetebar), Jonah Jay (@jonah.elijah), Solomon Adufah (@solomonadufah), Erika Dickstein (@hagueNYC), J. Michael Walker (@jmichaelwalker1), Monica Seggos (@monicaseggos), Patrice Robinson (@patdowart), Neequaye Dreph (@dreph), and​ ​Andrew Navarro (@oogumvision).

Curator:

Badir McCleary is an independent consultant. He holds an M.A. in Arts Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art (Los Angeles/London) where he focused on emerging art markets. Having extensive contemporary art history knowledge and experience, Badir can tackle large projects with confidence, protecting and tracking deliverables and ensuring high-level success for clients. Badir was the Co-Owner and Director of Gallery 38 (Los Angeles), a project that produced exhibitions for emerging artists of color in South Los Angeles and helped contribute to several public projects globally, helping artists transform communities through visual aesthetics. (​@artabovereality​).

The exhibit will be on view to the public on the KunstMatrix (@kunstmatrix) platform ​from December 5th through January 5th (​Live Exhibition: https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/2701775/portraits-of-yesteryear​). Stay updated with the exhibition on social media via the hashtags #ArtAboveReality, #PortraitsOfYesteryear. Please contact [email protected]​ for more information. Exhibit information available upon request. All images are subject to copyright. ArtAboveReality also partners with @artmoney for all of your art collecting needs.

“Live the moment. Cherish the present. Anticipate the future. Frame the yesteryear” – Hlovate


Portraits Of Yesteryear: Artist Talk – Amy McCormac 
Portraits Of Yesteryear: Artist Talk -Patrice Robinson and Monica Seggos 
Portraits Of Yesteryear: Artist Talk – Erika Dickstein and Nema Etebar
Portraits Of Yesteryear: Artist Talk – Elmer Guevara and Jonah Jackson
Portraits Of Yesteryear: Artist Talk -Andrew Navarro
Portraits Of Yesteryear: Artist Talk – Neequaye Dreph Diane and Greatjoy Ndlulovu

Categories
Projects

This Is NOT A Riot: Protests in Los Angeles

This Is Not A Riot: Protests in Los Angeles

2020 was a wild year. For everyone. From the pandemic to the repetitive news of unarmed black civilians being murdered by police, the countless blow of economic and emotional turmoil took their toll on the world and Black Americans in particular. The summer of 2020 was a breaking point for the citizens of the city of Los Angeles as the news of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery (alongside other racially involved incidents) prompted folks to take to the streets in protest against the brutality of Americans by law enforcement.” – Badir McCleary. Order Now! – Paperback Book Pre-Orders are available now on ArtAboveReality.com/shop for $24.99. This title will be released with Barnes and Noble Press in Early March! For digital readers, you can also order the E-Book via the website and also on Amazon (for Kindle users) for $9.99. Thank you in advance!!

 

Protesters marching down Beverly Blvd
Protesters leaving Pan Pacific Park marching down Beverly Blvd
Protesters marching down Beverly Blvd
Visit the “This Is NOT A Riot” Virtual Exhibition Powered by Spatial.io

Categories
Editorial

An All Colored Cast, Hank Willis Thomas at Kayne Griffin Corcoran

An All Colored Cast, Hank Willis Thomas at Kayne Griffin Corcoran

Nestled in a small gated space on La Brea, Kayne Griffin Corcoran presents itself as more of a Hollywood garden party than a contemporary art gallery. You almost have to be “in the know” to know that art openings are taking place here. Known for having its own personal James Turrell installation, the gallery played host to “An All Colored Cast” (I laugh at the irony as I write), a solo exhibition by Hank Willis Thomas. This exhibition was the first for Thomas in Los Angeles.

You are welcomed into the property’s courtyard by the bright orange of A Suspension of Hostilities, 2019, a replica of the “General Lee,” car made famous by the television show “The Dukes of Hazzard”. I immediately wondered how the patrons would react upon first glance with the confederate flag being a centerpiece of the famed auto, (you know, since everyone is so political now and forget it was part of Americana at one point) but felt confident that once I got inside and walked around the show a bit more, I’d find clarity. 

I arrived a bit early after visiting other spaces in the area to find the exhibition empty. Guests to the gallery were tuned into the artist walkthrough of a concurrent exhibition by San Diego based artist Raul Guerrero titled “Sonora Desert: Flora, Fauna & Artifacts, on view in the adjacent room. I took the opportunity to spend time with the art from Thomas’ show, trying to gauge how I felt about them before other ideas of interpretation could corrupt my experience. The work presents itself in large abstract forms, taking on the likenesses of earlier creations by esteemed modern artists. I thought of Noah Davis’ 2013 exhibition “Imitation of Wealth”, where he duplicated works of modern contemporary artists in an attempt to disrupt the classism in the access to quality art. I had prior knowledge of the “secret” contained in these works, so I started to do a little digging. Using modern tools (my iPhone) to wipe away the surface and reveal the real jewels hidden in plain sight. 

The secret to Thomas’ installation was you had to direct light at the artwork to get the extra effect. The illumination of light would reveal the underlying piece of the artistic puzzle. Taking a flash photo probably worked best I thought, but that’s usually against the rules in art spaces. Since no one was around, and I wanted to see. Like, really see. Fuck it. Let’s do it. I can always apologize (if I get caught, of course).

The first artwork I walked up to was Field Day (Test Pattern), 2019, a large horizontal panel, divided equally with a spectrum of eight colors that are lined vertically, giving reference to the SMPTE color bars. These bars are a television test pattern for the NTSC video standard in North America. Flash. As I looked down at the phone, the bars magically became transparent and a new image appeared! “Holy shit! What is this?” I thought, “Let me try this again.” You know because iPhones do some weird shit. Flash. It happened again! 

What’s shown under the color bars was a still photo of a man in blackface in a suit, smiling and standing around a group of black people. Some also smiling, and others with looks of disappointment. The verticality of the color bars allows each part of the image to be analyzed, bookmarked and separated from the whole for further investigation. Seeing the image as eight separate parts allowed for many main characters, giving each subject a renewed visibility through the detachment.

The crowd then moved into the gallery where “An All Colored Cast” was on view. Thomas began to give his insight on the execution of the work, alongside team members who also contributed their experiences throughout the process. We gathered in the center in the space as Thomas kept instructing everyone to move closer. I’m guessing so that everyone could hear clearly and he wouldn’t have to yell.

An installation titled Not So Easy, 2019, featuring a disassembled Harley Davidson style chopper was spread across the floor alongside a helmet designed with the colors of America and a matching gas cap among the panoply of motorcycle parts. It was like the late stuntman, Evil Knievel had crashed into the gallery and took off before anyone could identify him. I saw the dismantling of the bike almost as a portrayal of the fabric of American values in need of a tune-up.

As Thomas introduced the exhibition, he gave the audience insight into his youth growing up. He waxed eloquently about the images he and his mother (Deborah Willis, a notable artist/photographer, and curator) enjoyed watching on television, which greatly informed his upbringing, and how Black Hollywood shaped the family’s evening entertainment as images like the “General Lee” car was a mainstay in their everyday programming. Thomas further explained that during the research for this show, his team discovered the show’s producers had nearly three hundred replicas of the car – as it was continuously damaged during “The Dukes of Hazzard” filming. 

The confederate flag has long been a symbol synonymous with a period of high racial animosity, but in “The Dukes of Hazzard” television show, it’s attached to the car of the hero in the story. I likened Thomas’ story of his childhood entertainment experience to that of James Baldwin, who articulated during a debate with William Buckley, his conflict with the image of Gary Cooper in traditional American Western film. Baldwin expressed cheering on the hero Cooper, only to realize that the Native American “villains”, could be a visual representation of himself in the eyes of his countrymen.

Thomas continued his dialogue with the audience and spoke to the inspiration for the exhibition.  He lamented the influence of the modern art masters and how they impacted the series. He mentioned artists like Ellsworth Kelly, Andy Warhol, and Josef Albers whose familiar style of abstract shape can be identified immediately in Thomas’s presentation. 

We gathered in front of Deep South (Red Diagonal), 2019, which pays homage to Ellsworth Kelly’s work Red Diagonal, 2007, a beautiful oil on canvas work that features a painted white square overlaid by another canvas painted bright red, conjoining the two panels creating a unified sculptural work. In Thomas’s interpretation, he uses UV print on retroreflective vinyl mounted on Dibond to achieve the result.

After a short explanation of the work, Thomas invited a member of his team to shed further light on the process of developing the series. She also instructed people to move closer (Were we really that far away?) and turn on a light source from their cameras, which would allow patrons to follow along and see first hand the results of the process. Sounds of enjoyment filled the room as the patrons were able to discover what was hidden beneath the surface of the artwork which added a new element and offered an entirely different perspective on its meaning. I was able to focus on the reactions of the guests as I previously experienced their shock and awe moment when I first encountered the “secret” behind the work. 

Thomas and associates collectively explained what the image reveals when light is shone onto Deep South (Red Diagonal), 2019. What it shows is a promotional still from the 1975 movie “Mandingo,” in which a white woman presents a very demonstrative face while clutching the rope that is tied to the waist of a slave named “Mede” as he looks on in displeasure. The “Red Diagonal” in this work is used as a point of focus as it highlights the key elements in the image, which are the looks on the faces of the subjects contained within. I was unaware of the film until I began writing this essay. I decided to watch “Mandingo” to understand the context of the image and how it could elevate my perspective. Suddenly,  I grasped the many ways that the image in this work profoundly affected how I perceived it.

Various ways of comprehending the visual ran through my brain. In one case, I saw it as the artist speaking to the recent growing interest in art by people of color, specifically significant works by Africans and African-Americans. Specifically, how art is essentially “roped up” or consumed by deep-pocketed art dealers and collectors, looking to stay ahead of the latest flipper. If you’ve paid minimal attention in the last five years, you’d understand that “black art” has become a commodity for collectors and museums alike. These entities present themselves as lost sheep who are looking to make “corrections” while updating e their holdings to include contemporary black artists. I continue to laugh at this thought. 

The film “Mandingo” still represented to me the proverbial auction block that black artists have been on lately, gaining roster spots with dealers that traditionally looked past them. Now represented by these galleries, these new “prizefighters” mostly from a cast of people of color take on the task of winning fights (having strong exhibitions and sales), and breeding (being able to bring in other profitable friends) making a worthy investment for these institutions and galleries just as “Mede” was made to do as a slave in the film. Only when investigative articles are written, and tough questions are answered about art dealings, does any of this truth gain clarity. 

Could the artist also be insinuating that the inaccessibility to gallery spaces, media, and supportive patrons have suppressed black artists during this period? Hopefully, that’s something the artist will clarify as literature is developed for this exhibition.

The gallery attendant provided the guests with pairs of glasses, with lights attached, allowing viewers to walk the exhibition hands-free. Simultaneously, allowing those without iPhone lights and other devices to participate. Since I had already experienced the reveal of the process on my own time, I wanted to marvel at the real-time responses from the patrons. When the lights were turned off, the viewers became forensic scientists, using the provided tools to enhance their visibility, parsing through each artwork with finer detail. 

As Thomas guided us through the exhibition, he reiterated that the images reveal themselves under a direct light source like the Deep South art piece. As each work became the center of concentration, you could see the image come to life with the lights aimed in the same direction. When the work An All Colored Cast, 2019 was illuminated, I realized that Thomas made reference to Andy Warhol’s famed Ethel Scull 36 Times, 1963. This work featured Ethel Scull, the wife of art collector and magnate Robert Scull, with thirty-six different portraits, all with varying color backgrounds. What was really cool about this work was that it included photos of some of Hollywood’s elite stars, again allowing them to “share the stage” through the color division – just like the earlier work.

As we walked toward “People Just Like To Look At Me” (Spectrum IX), 2019 (probably my favorite piece in the exhibition), Thomas enlightened the guests on some of the backstories of the actors and actresses of Black Hollywood. I compare this work to that of Mickalene Thomas’ 2016 exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles titled “Do I Look Like A Lady?”. Her exhibition featured beautifully abstracted forms made from acrylic mirror and wood panel, where leading black women like Diana Ross would be memorialized. I could almost see that exhibition almost as an external precursor to “An All Colored Cast”, gaining inspiration from the viewing perspective of his mother, Deborah Roberts. Especially with Mickalene Thomas’s presentation, curating books, magazines, furniture, and carpets, recreating a black family living room atmosphere.

The sea of light focused on him acted as a spotlight would following a stand-up comedian doing their routine. Or police officers shining their high-beams of white light from their cars into the faces of young black men. Let’s keep it positive and go with the former. Thomas mentioned how many were forced into wearing blackface and portraying “Coon Characters” just to have the opportunity to grace the big screen. And by doing this, it opened up doors for the entertainers we love and enjoy today.

After the walk-through, I got a chance to speak with Thomas about my takeaways from the show. The forensic approach to fully understanding the series encourages the viewer to do a little more to get the intended result. I wondered if he and his team thought of that approach during the conception of the project. To my surprise, he was very interested in my perspective, as his team employed that type of thinking when creating the project, but without using that exact term.

At the end of the day, my question is, What are we shining a light on? If we were to take a deeper look beyond what’s on the surface, will we find the truth? Reality? Will we find change when we shine a light on these replicated situations? Maybe. But if I had to bet, it would be just another rerun. Another “General Lee” replacement vehicle for the hero.

Categories
Projects

Gallery 38 Mural Program (West Adams)

Gallery 38: Neighborhood Mural Program

Above: MDMN and Knowledge Bennett at Gallery 38, Spring 2015. Photo by Badir McCleary

Tommy Fiendish, London, Summer 2016
Flore & The Producer BDB and Norm Maxwell, Opening Mural, Summer 2015
Norm Maxwell, Opening Mural, Summer 2015
AngelOnce, Summer 2015
HIMBAD, J.C. Tires (Across from Gallery 38), Summer 2016
Flore & The Producer BDB, Summer 2015
Patrick Henry Johnson, Summer 2016
Ador and Semor, Across from Gallery 38), Summer 2016
J.C. Rivera, Summer 2016
Jake Merten, Summer 2016
Jaq Dutch and Yenna Haring, Across from Gallery 38), Summer 2016
Norm Maxwell, Summer 2017
Brett Crawford, Summer 2017
Categories
Curatorial

SCOPE Art Show 2018 at Art Basel Miami

Dates
Dec 1st — Dec 8, 2018

Location
SCOPE Art Show, Miami Beach, FL

Exhibition Information

“Configuration” is set to open at SCOPE International Art Fair on December 4th, 2018 featuring a collection of works by Philadelphia-based contemporary artists Serena Saunders, Ivben Taqiy, and Gabe Tiberino. Curated by Badir R. McCleary

Serena Saunders is a Visual Artist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her work as a painter has a fresh, color-strong perspective that speaks to our imagination while the subjects ask for our awareness. Her often large-scale, graphically bold, and poetically composed paintings offer the viewer layers of narrative. The painter works with a color palette that gives her intricate prints a world of their own. She then uses these environments on canvas as a backdrop to her portraits and their stories. You will often find a matter of injustice or undying hope fighting its way through the line of work to prevail at the surface.

At the age of 7 years old, Ivben Taqiy fell in love with art. Twenty-plus years later, he’s doing what he loves. Although Philadelphia based, he has created murals, portraits, and other forms of visual art for many well-known celebrities and corporations. Taqiy has worked with Foot Locker, Fox25 News, Jimmy Johns, Lauryn Hill, and Swizz Beats to name a few. With a resume that stretches from North to South and East to West; Taqiy still manages to make time to serve and teach the youth in the Philadelphia communities. Art has been his pathway to building relationships and life, he encourages artists to continue to move forward so that they don’t miss out on all that life has to offer them and their talent.

Gabe Tiberino is a visual artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born into artistic practice, he is a scion of one of Philadelphia’s best-known art families. Tiberino was probably the youngest person (eighteen) to be the lead artist on a Philadelphia Mural Arts Program project. In 2005 he received his certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, winning the Best Figurative Painter Award in the Student Exhibition. Since 1998, he has been a part of the Mural Arts Program working as a lead muralist and assisting several renowned, international artists. His murals can be seen throughout Philadelphia.

https://www.artsy.net/show/artabovereality-artabovereality-at-scope-miami-beach-2018?sort=partner_show_position


Categories
Curatorial

Relational Chemistry

Relational Chemistry

ArtAboveReality is pleased to present “Relational Chemistry: An Introspective of Urban Experience”, a group survey highlighting nineteen contemporary artists in the city of Philadelphia. Focusing on their grassroots origins, “Relational History: A Introspective of Urban Experience” speaks to the artists using their practice to realize and then share their identities, an entrance, for the viewer, into the artist’s inner selves. 

Dates
Oct 16th — 20th, 2018

Location
Ivben Studios, Philadelphia, PA

Curators Statement

With urbanism being diverse and lively, advancing in technology, and shifting capital investment, It is shaped by power and wealth, as well as imagination and labor layered with intertwined cultural and social histories. The work manifests itself in facets of painting, sculpture, and interactive installations, centering on the interpretation of culture, society, identity, and the complex but meaningful conversations relating to contemporary issues of urbanism and human chemistry. While the members of this show come from diverse backgrounds, it is this chemistry that ties their experiences and practices together.

Artists In The Exhibition:
Aubrie Costello, Holly Colaguori, Bariq Cobbs, Nema Etebar, Claes Gabriel, Kenneth Jackson, Caryn Kunkle, Nile Livingston, June Lopez, Alloyius McIlwaine, IvbenTaqiy, Taji Ra’oof Nahl, Dejeonge Reese, Serena Saunders, Richard Tenaglia, Ellen Tiberino, Gabe Tiberino, Raphael Tiberino, and Derrick Woodyard.

The exhibit will be on view to the public from October 16th through 20th. Press release and show imagery available upon request. Please contact [email protected] for more information. “Relational Chemistry: An Introspective of Urban Experience” is located at 3239 Amber Street., Philadelphia, PA 19134. Stay updated with ArtAboveReality on Instagram (@ArtAboveReality)  via the hashtags #ArtAboveReality, #RelationalChemistry. Also, visit us at https://artabovereality.com. All images are subject to copyright. Gallery approval must be granted prior to reproduction.



Categories
Curatorial

Aqua Art Miami 2017 at Art Basel Miami

Aqua Art Miami 2017 at Art Basel Miami

Gallery 38, an ongoing project by ArtAboveReality and Bancs Media, opened its doors in March of 2015 with the hopes of starting an artistic renaissance in the West Adams neighborhood. One year later, the mission continues. Named in a LA Weekly article as “The Center of the burgeoning West Adams Art Scene”, Gallery 38 has done over 15 solo exhibitions and art fairs and has been able to continue the tradition of presenting emerging and established artists while focusing on developing the community around them.

Dates
Dec 1 — Dec 9, 2017

Location
Aqua Art Miami, Miami, FL

Exhibition Information

Artists In The Exhibition:
Reisig and Taylor, Moncho 1929, Sharon Barnes, Sam Pace, and Patrick Henry Johnson.

Gallery 38 will present a group show featuring our roster of artists with successful solo gallery shows this year. Each artist represents different backgrounds (Race, Religion, etc.) as well as use different mediums (Photography, Sculpture, Paint, etc.) to exude their experiences and realities. The show digs deeper into the intricacies of the human being and his/her place in society. With each artist having works that exhibit identity, self-awareness and urban poetry, this show hopes to continue the conversation that in our differences we are extravagantly similar, and those similarities when merged together create something better than an individualistic society, they create a melting pot of forward thinking ideas.

While the members of this show come from diverse backgrounds, there are similarities that tie the works together. The work centers on interpretation of culture, society, identity and the complex connections that hold all of these constructs together. The work manifests itself in facets of paint, sculpture and interactive installations, all designed to use space, color and texture to invite meaningful conversations relating to contemporary issues.

Interacting with surface abstractly, creating new reality along the way almost seamlessly without thought allows these artists to display an artistic courage that will allow the viewer to take a deeper look into each artist’s journey from past to present.