Tawny Chatmon Exhibits at Fotografiska

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

about the exhibition | press | about Tawny

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

Reparations: Some Things are Just Owed and Some More…

Reparations: Some Things are Just Owed
and
Some More than Others

Solo Exhibition featuring Wesley Clark
September 22 – October, 31, 2019

artist statement | curatorial statement | about Wesley Clark

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

Art of the Collectors VII

July 27 – August 31, 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

video: Collectors Panel Discussion

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

Benny Andrews (1930-2006), Glider, Lithograph, 35.5" x 27.5" Framed, 1991, 116/275, Private Collector

Bruce Onobrakpeya (1932), Napolioni, Additive Plastograph, Framed,, 19" x 16.5", 1994, 30/75, Harris Collection

Choco, (1949), Untitled, Lithograph, 25.75" x 25" Framed , N.D., 10/15, Cole Collection

Cullen Washington (1972), Poppa T Verison Z, Etching, 28.5" x 22.5" Unframed, 2006, 7/8, Private Collector

Curtis Woody, Ties That Bind, Mixed Media, 7.75" x 7.75" Framed, N.D., N/A, Savage Collection

Curtis Woody, We Were Meant to Live For So Much More, Mixed Media, 15.5" x 15.5" Framed, N.D., N/A, Savage Collection

Delilah Pierce (1904-1992), In Bloom, Acrylic and watercolor, on paper, 19.5" x 14.5" Framed, N.D., N/A, Ford Collection

Ernest Crichlow, (1914-2005), Stone Princess, Color Screenprint , 30" x 20" Unframed, 1982, 64/100, Derby Collection

Ernest Crichlow, (1914-2005), Young Lady in Yellow Dress, Color Etching and Aquatint, 21 3/4" x 16 3/4", Unframed, 1982, 47/100, Derby Collection

Faith Ringgold (1930), Grooving High, Color Screenprint , 35" x 49" Framed, 1996, 48/425, Cole Collection

Falaka A. Yimer (1942), Mt Pleasant, Woodcut, 24" x 30" Framed, 1986, 5/10, Private Collector

Frank Frazier (1943), Untitled, Mixed Media on Paper, 14.75" x 38" Framed, 2004, N/A, Private Collector

Frank Smith (1935), So We Too Cool, "Acrylic on wood panel
", 41" x 31" Framed, N.D., N/A, Washington, D.C. Collector

Frank Smith (1935), Dis Card And Dat Card, Mixed Media Collage on Paper, 27.5" x 23.5" Framed, 2007, N/A, Ford Collection

Hughie Lee-Smith, (1915-1999), The Pomise, Lithograph, Unframed, 29" x 21, Framed, 33.5" x 26", 1989, 7/18 A.P., Harris Collection

Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), On the Way, Lithograph, 40" x 29.5" Framed, 1990, 53/100, Bell-Reid Collection

James Wells (1902-1993), Peace Corps Africa, Color Linocut Print, 31" x 23.5" Framed, 1971, 8th Imp, Private Collector

John Biggers (1924-2001), The Four Sisters, Linocut, 8.75" x 11.75" Framed, 2000, 38/75 2nd Edition, Savage Collection

Jonathan Pinkett, Samson St. at 15th, Watercolor on Paper, 20 1/8" x 14" Unframed, N.D., N/A, Private Collector

Jonathan Pinkett, Venice Corner Window, Watercolor on Paper, 20" x 14" Unframed, N.D., N/A, Private Collector

Jonathan Pinkett, (1949), 4130 Walnut St, Watercolor on Paper, 15" x 12" Framed, N.D., N/A, Private Collector

Lois Mailou Jones, (1905-1998), Veve Voudou III, Serigraph, Unframed, 32" x 40" Framed, 37.5" x 45.5", 1997, 124/150, Harris Collection

Lorna Williams (1986), Nasceney, Six Color Litograph, 27.5" x 20.5" Unframed, 2013, 38/100, Private Collector

Lou Stoval (1937), Roses for Ma, Silkscreen, 16" x 16" Framed, 1988, 37/50, Ford Collection

Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bend (1935), Variation, Housetop, Block Series, Color Aquatint/Etching, 27.25" x 27.5" Framed, N.D., N/A, Cole Collection

Purvis Young (1943-2010), Red Figures, Painting on Found Paper, 9.25" x 6" Artwork, 20" x 20" Framed , N.D., N/A, Savage Collection

Richard Witikani , Nyamanza, Oil on Compassed Paper, 24" x 31.5" Unframed, 1998, N/A, Private Collector

Romare Bearden (1911-1988), Out Chorus, Serigraph with Hand-Painted Watercolor Border, 22" x 29.75" Framed, 1979-80, 54/60, Bell-Reid Collection

Sam Gilliam (1933), Untitled, Color Screenprint, 23.5" x 15" Unframed, 2003, 43/130, Private Collector

Stephanie E. Pogue, (1944-2002), Chameleon, Color Viscosity Etching , 31.5" x 25" Unframed, N.D., A/P, William Pogue Collection

Stephanie E. Pogue, (1944-2002), Dancing Goddesses, Color viscosity etching, 28 1/2" x 34 6/8" Framed, N.D., 2/10, William Pogue Collection

Stephanie E. Pogue, (1944-2002), Dancing Puppet, Color viscosity etching, 30.5" x 24" Framed, 1987, 1/10, William Pogue Collection

Stephanie E. Pogue, (1944-2002), Madras Skylight, Color Viscosity Etching , 19.75" x 15.75" Framed, 1983, 9/20, William Pogue Collection

Stephanie E. Pogue, (1944-2002), Paris Skylight, Color Viscosity Etching and Collagraph, 33.25" x 40.5" Framed, 1984, 1/20, William Pogue Collection

Stephanie E. Pogue, (1944-2002), The New Hat, Color Viscosity Etching , 33" x 25.5" Framed, 1974, 11/20, William Pogue Collection

Thomas Feeling (1933-2003), Child in Sky, Print, 23.25" x 26" Framed, N.D., 1/560, Cole Collection

Ulysses Marshall (1946), Untitled, Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 18", 1997, N/A, Private Collector

Valerie Maynard (1937), Fulani Lady, Linocut, 30.25" x 23", N.D., A/P, Thrash Collection

Blackface Artwork

Blackface: A Reclamation of Beauty, Power and Narrative

April 20 – June 15, 2019

about the exhibition | exhibition essay

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-Redemption_Girl_Enlightened

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

Felandus Thames
Black and Blue
Hairbrushes
2016

Building Bridges II The Politics of Love – Identity…

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

Caridad Ramos Mosquera, Cuban
Untitled
Mixed media sculpture, Dimensions varied
2003

Zaida del Rio, Cuban
Filigrana/ Delicate Work
Acrílico sobre Lienzo
120 x 90 cm
2018

Zaida del Rio, Cuban
Vienen del Mar/ Came from the Sea
Acrílico sobre Lienzo 120 x100 cm
2019

Eduardo Roca (Choco) Salazar, Cuban
Screenprint

Eduardo Roca (Choco) Salazar, Cuban
Sculpture

Alicia Leal Veloz, Cuban
Ni medio Yacío, Ni Medio Lleno Not half Empty, Not Half Full
Escultura de resina 20 x 28 x 20 cm
2018

Alicia Leal Veloz, Cuban
Caída Libre/ Free Fall Escultura de resina
20 x 28 x 4 cm
2018

Jorge A. Jacas Vivanco, Cuban
Y porque no/And Why Not Cerámica Esmaltada y metal
31 x 32 x 38 cm

Jorge A. Jacas Vivanco, Cuban
Convivencias/ Coexistence
Cerámica, esmaltada y metal
50 x 76 x 16 cm

Photos

Black Face: A Reclamation of Beauty, Power and Narrative

Blackface: A Reclamation of Beauty, Power, and Narrative

April 20 – June 15, 2019

Artists’ Talk: June 15th, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

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.