Tawny Chatmon Exhibits at Fotografiska, New York, NY
December 14, 2019 – March 22, 2020
Tawny Chatmon
Inheritance
”Our children inherit what we don’t resolve” anonymous
Inheritance, by Tawny Chatmon (American, b. 1979), invites the viewer to look beyond the decorated and nuanced portraits to examine issues of race and the historical positioning of African American portraiture in the absence of subjugation of the “black body” in Western art.
Chatmon, a mother of three black children, draws from her life experiences and belief that children inherit our memories, beliefs, traditions, and the world that we leave behind. Through her photographs, she conveys a message to her children, and to all black children, that they are precious, valued, and loved.
While the camera is her primary tool of communication, Chatmon takes a multi-layered approach in producing her photographs—her process does not subscribe to conventional photography. The photographs are often manipulated and hand-embellished with acrylic paint and 24-karat gold leaf, inspired by Gustav Klimt’s (1862-1918) “Golden Phase.” The use of gold and ornamentation in Klimt’s work evokes feelings of grace, magnificence, and beauty within Chatmon and has remained in the artist’s consciousness. These are the emotions Chatmon seeks to convey to those viewing her photographs. Her portraits are staged vignettes with models, who at times are her own children, wearing elegant garments. Chatmon experiments with various art practices and does not restrict herself to follow any set of rules, allowing her to create instinctually and fluidly. The result is a beautiful and powerful iconography that speaks to “the disparities that continue to affect black people around the world.”
This exhibition presents three bodies of work: The Awakening, Byzantine Contempo, and The Redemption. In these series, Chatmon celebrates the beauty of black childhood, African American culture, and the delicate intricacies of protecting and raising a black child in today’s world. Each series is a conversation on love, nurturing, and the familial bond; a commentary on the politics of blackness; the historical portrayal of the black body; and an investigation of Renaissance and Byzantine portraiture. In combating the negative stereotyping associated with natural hairstyles and adornments that are distinctively likened to black people and culture, Chatmon glorifies various styles: afros, locs, twists, and barbershop cuts revered in black communities. Embedded within the works are messages of embracing one’s beauty and cultural pride.
Text by Myrtis Bedolla. Edited by Grace Noh and Amanda Hajjar.
Inheritance is organized by Fotografiska, in collaboration with the artist and Galerie Myrtis.
Fotografiska
281 Park Ave South
New York, NY 10010 United States
The World is Imperfect, But You… The Awakening Series
12k white gold leaf on archival pigment print
54” x 30" (unframed), 72” x 49.5" (framed)
2018-2019
Duality/ Sister's Keeper: The Awakening Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
44” x 32" (unframed), 59” x 46" (framed)
2017-2019
She Promised... (Don’t Cry For Me): The Awakening
24k gold leaf on archival pigment print
30” x 20" (unframed), 44” x 32" (framed)
2018-2019
Not for Sale
The Second Sunday: The Awakening Series
24k gold leaf on archival pigment print
45” x 33" (unframed), 58” x 46" (framed)
2018-2019
Braiding Hour/Barrettes: The Awakening Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
40” x 32" (unframed), 45.5” x 38" x 2” (framed)
2017-2018
(not for sale)
Reflection/ Crowned: The Awakening Series
24k gold leaf on archival pigment print
50” x 26" (unframed), 63.5” x 40" (framed)
2017
Girl Enlightened: The Redemption Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
44” x 30"(unframed), 62” x 51” (framed)
2019
Castles: The Redemption Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
24” x 20" (unframed), 42” x 34.5” (framed)
2019
Blossom: The Redemption Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
45” x 30" (unframed), 61” x 49” (framed)
2019
Eden's Playdress: The Redemption Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
42” x 28" (unframed), 60” x 48” (framed)
2019
God's Gift: The Redemption Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
48” x 36" (unframed), 62"x 50" (framed)
2019
(On Reserve)
She is Gold: The Redemption Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
28” x 24" (unframed), 40"x 36" (framed)
2019
Janay: The Redemption Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
35” x 24" (unframed), 47"x 37" (framed)
2019
SOLD
3:31: The Redemption Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
28” x 18" (unframed), 40"x 28" (framed)
2019
SOLD
Covered / Vienna: The Awakening Series
24k gold leaf andacrylic paint on archival pigment print
36” x 24" (unframed), 49” x 36" x 2.5” (framed)
2017-2019
Not for Sale
Ceanna The Second: The Redemption Series
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
36” x 28" (unframed), 47” x 39” (framed)
2018
SOLD
Let Him Grow: The Redemption Series
Acrylic paint on archival pigment print
30” x 24" (unframed), 44"x 36" (framed)
2019
(On Reserve)
Sisterhood: Byzantine Contempo Series
24k gold leaf on archival pigment print
45” x 33 " (unframed), 60"x 47" (framed)
2016
Hayden: Byzantine Contempo Series
24k gold leaf on archival pigment print
44” x 30" (unframed), 58"x 43.5" (framed)
2016
Prevailing: Byzantine Contempo Series
Archival pigment print
36" x 24” (unframed), 50"x 39" (framed)
2016
Peace Within: The Awakening Series
24k gold leaf and archival pigment print
36" x 28" (unframed), 43.5"x 33.5" (framed)
2018-2019
Embrace: The Awakening Series
24k gold leaf on archival pigment print
40" x 34" (unframed), 60" x 52" (framed)
2019
The Awakening: Beloved
24k gold leaf on archival pigment print
36” x 31”x 3.5” on Hahnemühle Paper w/ additional 5cm border
2018
SOLD
The Redemption: The Boy That Changed My Life Honored
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
51” x 41” x 4” on Hahnemühle Paper w/ additional 5cm border
2018-2019
Byzantine Contempo: Reigning
24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print
60” x 48” x 7”
2016/2019
Through a revolutionary intellectual process, Wesley Clark (1979) in his first solo exhibition at Galerie Myrtis creates a fantastical world of interwoven history, Afro-futurists, coded messages and mechanisms for survival in his investigation of what America owes the descendants of slaves and most importantly, what they owe themselves.
In Reparations: Some Things are just Owed and Some More than Others Clark probes the vestiges of slavery by transporting viewers to the reconstruction era (1865-1877) where they discover Reparations & Co. (a. k. a. Rep & Co.), a company established by Rep. & Co. Brothers, Morris and Eugene. As protagonists in Clark’s fictional world, the Rep. & Co. Brothers deploy their carpentry skills and ability to see into the future to invent devices for coping with racial discrimination, social injustice, and trauma; while offering African Americans tools to navigate and survive in a society that deems them as “other.” read full Curatorial Statement by Myrtis Bedolla
The Tell-All Earbox: Model no. C3l3stial-4
Urethane paint, wood, 8-1/2″ x 10-1/2″ x 9″, 2019
Artwork
The Gift
Resin, plywood, epoxy putty, dirt
38"h x 90 x 1"d Base: 12"h x 42"w x 32"d
2019
The Tell-All Earbox: model no. C0mm0n3r-1
Oil paint, shellac, wood
8" x 11" X 8-1/2"
2019
The Tell-All Earbox: model no. 1ndust1al-1
Oil paint. Steel, bolts, shellac, wood
8-1/2" x 10-1/2" x 8-1/2"
2019
The Tell-All Earbox: Model no. C3l3stial-4
Urethane paint, wood
8-1/2" x 10-1/2" x 9"
2019
A Word Spoken is a Word Heard
Stain, wood, plywood
34" x 64" x 37"
2019
Sentence Structure
Wood, xerox transfer, oil, nails
34" x 7" - varied
2011
Table of Contents
Oil paint on wood
47” x 89”
2017
The Profiteers I: Enslavement
Oil paint, latex paint, shellac on plywood
60” x 48”
2019
The Profiteers II: Imprisonment
Oil paint, latex paint, shellac on plywood
79" x 49"
2019
Prophet's Library: Wading In the Waters of Babylon
Urethane paint, jute, wood
4" x 21" x 11"
2019
The Prophet’s Library: The Wondrous War
Oil paint and acrylic on wood
9.5” x 7” x 3.5”
2017
The Prophet’s Library: Nationalism and the Knife The Violent Struggle for Black Liberation
Oil paint and acrylic on wood
15” x 11” x 4”
2017
Prophet's Library: The Angels of Gabriel
Leather, oil paint, brads, latex paint, wood
4" x 15" x 9-3/4"
2019
Only What’s Owed
Wood, Oil, Chalk Board Paint
30” x 42”
2017
For the Sake of Our Own
Wood, Acrylic, Chalk
31” x 40”
2017
Restoring Our Majesty
Urethane paint, epoxy putty, eps foam
Female: 69-1/2" x 19", Base: 13-1/2" x 28-1/2"
Male: 69-1/2" x 24", Base: 13" x 31"
2019
Thought Exercise I
graphite on paper
24" x 16"
2019
Thought Exercise II
graphite on paper
9" x 7"
2019
Thought Exercise III
graphite on paper
9" x 7"
2019
Thought Exercise IV
graphite on paper
4.5" x 6"
2019
Thought Exercise V
graphite on paper
6" x 4.5"
2019
Thought Exercise VI
graphite on paper
7" x 9"
2019
Thought Exercise VII
graphite on paper
6" x 4.5"
2019
Thought Exercise VIII
graphite on paper
10" x 13"
2019
I See You Here and Forever
Epoxy resin, eps foam, oil paint
32” x 82” x 24”
2017
Inheritance
Spray paint, urethane paint, stain, wood
13" x 58" x 11" ea
2019
Collectors Panel Discussion: Saturday, August 24th, 5:00-7:00 pm. – The Preservation of Art, Culture, and Legacy – Panelists: Amath Gomis, Gregory Morton and William Robinson. Moderator: Myrtis Bedolla
Art of the Collectors VII features works of art created by 20th and 21st century African and African American artists previously held in institution and private collections. Artists: Akili Ron Anderson, Benny Andrews, Romare Bearden, John Biggers, Ernest Crichlow, Sam Gilliam, Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Ulysses Marshall, Valerie Maynard, Jonathan Pinkett, Frank Smith, Hughie Lee Smith, Lou Stovall, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Delilah Pierce, Stephanie Pogue, Faith Ringgold, Cullen Washington, Jr., James Lesesne Wells, Lorna Williams, Curtis Woody, Falaka Armide Yimer, and Purvis Young.
Faith Ringgold, Grooving High
Color Silkscreen 48/425, 35″ x 49″, Framed, 1996
Provenance: Johnetta B. Cole Collection
Artwork
Akili Ron Anderson (1946), Middle Passage, Colored Pencil, Ink and Metallic Paint on Paper, 24" x 31" Framed, 1986-1999, N/A, Ford Collection
Featured artists: Tawny Chatmon, Alfred Conteh, Jerrell Gibbs, Karina Griffith, Jas Knight, Arvie Smith and Felandus Thames.
Exhibition essay by Halima Taha. Curated by Myrtis Bedolla and Jessica Stafford Davis
Artwork
Tawny Chatmon
The Awakening: Covered
Photography, Photo- Manipulation, Montage, Embellished with 24k gold leaf
38" x 49" Framed
2017
Tawny Chatmon
The Redemption: Girl Enlightened
Photography, Photo- Manipulation, 24k gold leaf, Acrylic paint
51" x 62" Framed
2018/2019
Tawny Chatmon
The Redemption: Castles
Photography, Photo- Manipulation, 24k gold leaf, Acrylic paint
34.5" x 42" Framed
2018/2019
Tawny Chatmon
The Awakening:Not Charlotte
Photography, Photo- Manipulation, Montage, Embellished with 24k gold leaf
53" x 45" Framed
2017
Alfred Conteh RJ and His People
Acrylic on Canvas
84" x 47.5"
2019
Alfred Conteh
Lil' Will
Acrylic and Charcoal on Paper
36” x 28.5” Framed
2017
Alfred Conteh
Debo
Acrylic and Charcoal on Paper
36” x 28.5” Framed
2016
Alfred Conteh
Portia
Acrylic and Charcoal on Paper
36” x 28.5” Framed
2016
Jerrell Gibbs
Vive y Aprende
Oil on canvas
60" x 48" Unframed
2019
Jerrell Gibbs
Trees
Oil on canvas
36" x 48" Unframed
2019
Jerrell Gibbs
Quiero Amo
Oil on canvas
60" x 48" Unframed
2019
Jerrell Gibbs
Git It
Oil on canvas
48" x 36" Unframed
2019
Karina Griffith
Crude Processions (video clip)
Video
7 min. 1 sec.
2013
Jas Knight
Untitled (Androgynous female) Fugue No.5
Oil on linen
18" x 22" Sold unframed
2019
Jas Knight
Untitled Prelude No.4
Oil on linen
17" x 20" Sold unframed
2019
Jas Knight
(Androgynous female) Prelude No.5
Work on paper
32.5" x 27.5" Framed
2019
Jas Knight
Fugue No. 2 in Ultramarine & Black
Oil on linen
28" x 41" Sold unframed
2017
Jas Knight
Untitled (Two Men)
Oil on linen
35" x 47" Unframed
2019
Jas Knight
Fugue No.6
Oil on linen
28" x 22" Sold unframed
2019
Arvie Smith
Tight Rope
Oil on canvas
40” x 30” Framed
2014
Arvie Smith
Nigger Hair Tobacco
Oil on canvas
24” x 24" Framed
2009
Felandus Thames
Portrait of the First Post-Black Hairbeads on coated wire
24" x 39" x 1”
2019
Building Bridges II: The Politics of Love, Identity and Race
13th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba
April 12 – May 12, 2019
Galeria Carmen Montilla – photo by Chris Bedolla
Location
Galeria Carmen Montilla
Norma Jimenez Iradiz, Directora
Calle de los Oficios No. 162, Old Havana
Opening Reception: April 13, 2019, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Curators Myrtis Bedolla and Ana Joa reunite for the second iteration of Building Bridges II: The Politics of Love, Identity, and Race. In bridging peoples, politics, and cultures, the exhibition investigates the dogma of love, gender politics, and prevailing assumptions about identity and race. We thank Eusebio Leal Spengler, Old Havana Restoration Project for his support.
Los curadores Myrtis Bedolla y Ana Joa se reúnen para la segunda versión de Haciendo Puentes II: La Política del Amor, la Identidad y la Raza. Al unir a los pueblos, la política y las culturas, la exposición investiga el dogma del amor, la política de género y los supuestos prevalentes sobre la identidad y la raza. Agradecemos a Eusebio Leal Spengler, Havana Vieja Restauracion Proyecto por su apoyo.
American Artists: Tawny Chatmon, Wesley Clark, Larry Cook, Alfred Conteh, Anna U. Davis, Morel Doucet, Vance Gragg, Susan Goldman, Michael Gross, Ronald Jackson, M. Scott Johnson, and Delita Martin.
Cuban Artists: Julia Valdés Borrero, Luis Jorge Joa, Daylene Rodriquez Moreno, Caridad Ramos Mosquera, Zaida del Rio, Eduardo Roca Salazar (Choco), Alicia Leal Veloz, and Jorge Jacas Vivanco.
Artwork
Julia Valdes Borrero, Cuban
Título/Untitled
Acrílico-técnica mixta/canvas 140 x 140 cm
2019
Tawny Chatmon, USA
The Redemption/She is Gold
Photography, Photo-Manipulation, Gold leaf, acrylic paint
24"x28" unframed
2019
Wesley Clark, USA
Sentence Structure
Wood, xerox transfer, oil, nails
34 x 7 inches - varied
2011
Larry Cook, USA
Camille
Medium: Photography - archival ink jet print (2/4)
Dimensions: 24 x 20 inches
2011
Larry Cook, USA
Maria
Medium: Photography - archival ink jet print (3/4)
Dimensions: 24 x 20 inches
2011
Alfred Conteh, USA
Title: Calvin
Medium: Acrylic and atomized steel dust on paper
Dimensions: 22 x 30 inches
Year: 2019
Anna U. Davis, USA
Title: Tug of War
Medium: Acrylic, Ink and Paper Collage on Stretched Belgian linen
Dimensions: 30 x 40 inches
Year: 2019
Morel Doucet, USA
We be Hair, Cells, and Everything Black
Silkscreen on paper with rice paper
22 1/2" x 30"
2019
Morel Doucet, USA
When they Stay in the Sun their Shadows Grow with Regrets
Silkscreen on paper with coconut husk
22 ½ x 30 inches
2019
Vance M Gragg, USA
Hermandad y Tradicion (Sister Hood and Tradition)
Photographic Prints - Face Mounted to
Acrylic Display
Photo Collage: 9 Prints
48"x48"
Susan Goldman, USA
Black Flower Square, Y.B.T.R.
Screenprint
Edition no: 1/1 (Monotype)
40 x 30 inches
2018
Michael Gross, USA
Going
Screenprint
Edition no: 18/30
30 x 22 ½ inches
2005
Ronald Jackson, USA
Untitled, #1
Oil, fabric and paper collaged on watercolor paper
22 x 30 inches
2019
Ronald Jackson, USA
Untitled, #2
Oil, fabric and paper collaged on watercolor paper
22 x 30 inches
2019
Luis Jorge Joa, Cuban
Desafió/Challenge
Vinilo/PVC (fotografia) 50 x70 cm
2017
Luis Jorge Joa, Cuban
El General bajo la Tormenta/The General under the Storm
Vinilo/PVC (fotografia) 50 x70 cm
2017
M. Scott Johnson, USA
Africoid Cranium 3026 a.d.
Marble
14 h x 12w x 7d inches, 45 lbs
2013
Michael Scott Johnson, USA
Resurrection of Shango
Digital photomontage
24 x 36 inches
2015
Delita Martin, USA
Title: Aziza (Spirit of the Forest)
Medium: Gelatin Printing, Relief, Charcoal, Fabric, Hand-stitching
Dimensions: 30 x 43 inches
Year: 2019
Daylene Rodriquez Moreno, Cuban
Pagador de Promesas/ Payer of Promises
Photography, 120 x 80 cm
2018
Daylene Rodriquez Moreno, Cuban,
Sueño con Serpientes/ Dreamer with Snakes
Photography, 110 x 150 cm
2018
Curators: Myrtis Bedolla and Jessica Stafford Davis
Galerie Myrtis and The Agora Culture present Blackface: A Reclamation of Beauty, Power, and Narrative. In asserting the beauty of the black body, affirming its power — and societal and historical place, curators Myrtis Bedolla and Jessica Stafford Davis offer a counter narrative to the racist archetypes that evolved from 18th century minstrelsy, and its negative stereotyping of African Americans that prevails today.
The exhibition explores contemporary notions of black identity through photography by Tawny Chatmon, and painters Alfred Conteh, Jerrell Gibbs, and Jas Knight; and offers an investigation of blackface from a historical perspective presented in paintings by Arvie Smith and multidisciplinary works by Felandus Thames. The addition of a compiling video by filmmaker Karina Griffith captured in Berlin, Germany evokes the maligning of blackness through an international lens.
In addressing the insidious nature of minstrelsy and the appropriation of black culture — to deploy and rationalize the subjugation of African Americans for financial gain, Frederick Douglass described blackface performers as:
“…the filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion, denied them by nature, in which to make money, and pander to the corrupt taste of their white fellow citizens.” Lott, Eric (1993). Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class. New York: Oxford University Press.
Artwork
Tawny Chatmon
The Awakening: Covered
Photography, Photo- Manipulation, Montage, Embellished with 24k gold leaf
38" x 49" Framed
2017
Tawny Chatmon
The Redemption: Girl Enlightened
Photography, Photo- Manipulation, 24k gold leaf, Acrylic paint
51" x 62" Framed
2018/2019
Tawny Chatmon
The Redemption: Castles
Photography, Photo- Manipulation, 24k gold leaf, Acrylic paint
34.5" x 42" Framed
2018/2019
Tawny Chatmon
The Awakening:Not Charlotte
Photography, Photo- Manipulation, Montage, Embellished with 24k gold leaf
53" x 45" Framed
2017
Alfred Conteh RJ and His People
Acrylic on Canvas
84" x 47.5"
2019
Alfred Conteh
Lil' Will
Acrylic and Charcoal on Paper
36” x 28.5” Framed
2017
Alfred Conteh
Debo
Acrylic and Charcoal on Paper
36” x 28.5” Framed
2016
Alfred Conteh
Portia
Acrylic and Charcoal on Paper
36” x 28.5” Framed
2016
Jerrell Gibbs
Vive y Aprende
Oil on canvas
60" x 48" Unframed
2019
Jerrell Gibbs
Trees
Oil on canvas
36" x 48" Unframed
2019
Jerrell Gibbs
Quiero Amo
Oil on canvas
60" x 48" Unframed
2019
Jerrell Gibbs
Git It
Oil on canvas
48" x 36" Unframed
2019
Karina Griffith
Crude Processions (video clip)
Video
7 min. 1 sec.
2013
Jas Knight
Untitled (Androgynous female) Fugue No.5
Oil on linen
18" x 22" Sold unframed
2019
Jas Knight
Untitled Prelude No.4
Oil on linen
17" x 20" Sold unframed
2019
Jas Knight
(Androgynous female) Prelude No.5
Work on paper
32.5" x 27.5" Framed
2019
Jas Knight
Fugue No. 2 in Ultramarine & Black
Oil on linen
28" x 41" Sold unframed
2017
Jas Knight
Untitled (Two Men)
Oil on linen
35" x 47" Unframed
2019
Jas Knight
Fugue No.6
Oil on linen
28" x 22" Sold unframed
2019
Arvie Smith
Tight Rope
Oil on canvas
40” x 30” Framed
2014
Arvie Smith
Nigger Hair Tobacco
Oil on canvas
24” x 24" Framed
2009
Felandus Thames
Portrait of the First Post-Black Hairbeads on coated wire
24" x 39" x 1”
2019
Those Things Between Us Acrylic, Charcoal, Relief Printing, Decorative Papers, Hand-Stitching, 70.5" x 52" (unframed), 2018
Those Things Between Us (detail), Acrylic, Charcoal, Relief Printing, Decorative Papers, Hand-Stitching, 70.5" x 52" (unframed), 2018
My Sister's Keeper, Gelatin Printing, Acrylic, Relief, Conte, Decorative Papers, Hand-Stitching, 52" x 42" (unframed), 2017
If Spirits Danced, Gelatin Printing, Acrylic, Relief, Conte, Decorative Papers, Hand-Stitching, Stabilo Pencil, 52" x 42" (unframed), 2017
Believing In Kings, Acrylic, Charcoal, Relief Printing, Decorative Papers, Hand-Stitching, Liquid Gold Leaf, 71.5" x 51" (unframed), 2018
Another Kind of Blues, Acrylic, Charcoal, Decorative Papers, Hand-Stitching, Liquid Gold Leaf, 71.5" x 51" (unframed), 2018
The Moon and the Little Bird
Acrylic, Charcoal, Gelatin Printing, Collagraph Printing, Relief Printing, Decorative Papers, Hand-Stitching, Liquid Gold Leaf
102H 79W in (unframed)
2018
Sons and Saints, Acrylic, Charcoal, Relief printing, Decorative papers, Hand-stitching, 48"x 49 3/8", 2018
The Place that Binds Us Acrylic, Charcoal, Gelatin Printing, Collagraph Printing, Relief Printing, Decorative Papers, Hand-Stitching, 71 3/8” x 48” (unframed), 2018
Witness of Light, Mixed Media Monoprint, 25 ½” x 33”, 2014
Portrait #6 (Louise), Woodcut, Collage and Hand‐stitching, 30” x 22”, 2015
Portrait #4 (Jannie), Woodcut, Collage and Hand‐stitching, 30" x 22", 2015
Blue Dress and Colored Dreams, Gelatin printing, acrylic, hand-stitching and conte, 84" x 53", 2015
Delita Martin is an artist currently based in Huffman, Texas. She received a BFA in drawing from Texas Southern University and an MFA in printmaking from Purdue University. Formerly a member of the Fine Arts faculty at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Martin currently works as a full-time artist in her studio, Black Box Press.
Working from oral traditions, vintage and family photographs as a source of inspiration, Martin’s work explores the power of the narrative impulse. Her process of layering various printmaking, drawing, sewing collaging and painting techniques allow her to create portrait that fuse the real and the fantastic. In her work, she combines signs and symbols to create visual language. By fusing this visual language with oral storytelling, she offers other identities and other narratives for women of color.
Martin’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. Most recently, Martin’s work was included in State of the Arts: Discovering American Art Now, an exhibition that included 101 artists from around the United States. She was also included in the International Review of African American Art as one of 16 African American artists to watch, as they are gaining national and international attention in 2015.
Wherever two or three women are gathered together, there is the spirit and authority of Sande.”
-Mende belief
“-Women create Sande on the spot where they group together, sharing with one another, excluding men. This space is defined by privacy and secrecy- Women together in their womanhood, in a free exchange of words and actions among sisters -This is Sande.”
-Sylvia Ardyn Boone
Radiance From The Waters: Ideals of Feminine Beauty in Mende Art
The duality of women in this body of work project the spirit and its connection to the physical world, which reinforces the bond amongst women and how they co- exist in the physical and spiritual realms. The mask seen in the work are my interpretation of the Mende mask, specifically created for young girls being initiated into Sande. These masks are created as a reminder that human beings have a dual existence viewed as one body.
In this work, I am also exploring the different signs and symbols that help define the space the women reside in. In my previous works, the backgrounds communicated a specific sign, symbol, or icon to assist the viewer in their conversation with the work. Those signs and symbols helped define the perspective of the image. This body of work transitions the women and their place of residence into a spiritual realm, where the symbolism is less defined, the shapes are more organic, and the icons are left for the viewer to ponder and creating a space for the women to be birthed into.
Image: Where the Blue Begins, Acrylic, Charcoal, Callograph Printing, Decorative Papers, Hand-Stitching, 68 5/8” x 51 ¾” (unframed), 2018
Exhibition Dates: November 10, 2018 – February 2, 2019 Opening Reception: November 10th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm Artist’s Talk: January 19th, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm Film Screening: January 20th, 2:00 pm Daughters of the Dust – Parkway Theater, Baltimore, MD
Galerie Myrtis is pleased to present its first solo exhibition of works by Delita Martin. In Between Spirits and Sisters, Martin offers mixed media works that explore womanhood inspired by the Mende belief “Wherever two or three women are gathered together, there is the spirit and authority of Sande.”
Delita Martin states, “the duality of women in this body of work project the spirit and its connection to the physical world, which reinforces the bond amongst women and how they co-exist in the physical and spiritual realms. The mask seen in the work is my interpretation of the Mende mask, specifically created for young girls being initiated into Sande. These masks are created as a reminder that human beings have a dual existence viewed as one body.” Delita’s bio
Martin’s work is in the collections of the David Driskell Center, College Park, MD; Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, AR; Minnesota Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN; Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, Asbury, NJ; U.S.
Embassy of Nouakchott, Mauritania; and William J. Clinton
Presidential Library and Museum, Little Rock, AK