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Poems and Portraits: Revealing and Reclaiming Blackness in Western Art
The cover of Robin Coste Lewis’ book, Voyage of the Sable Venus features a Harlem Renaissance era photo of a slim black woman standing on a sidewalk deep in thought. With one hand resting on her hip and the other cradling her chin, the woman is pondering what lies behind the glass window in front…
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On Monuments and Men
Our recollection of history is malleable, and confronting this paradox takes us down a tricky path of potholes filled with denial and subjectivities. The debate over Civil War monuments could have been a shorter one if we collectively had a better understanding of our history and the presence of mind to challenge our understanding…
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A Word on Mentors
The artists in this photo inspire what I write. Writers like Holland Cotter inspire how I write. This year I have been blessed with the good fortune of having Holland Cotter, the co-chief art critic for the New York Times, as my mentor. During this time he has been both a sage and a sounding…
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Yayoi Kusama Comes to the Broad in October
On September 1 the Broad will place 50,000 tickets on sale online for its highly anticipated fall show and anxious Angelenos hitting refresh on their browsers might end up feeling like they’re in an endless infinity loop. Consider it visual dexterity training for Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors opening in October. The traveling exhibition’s L.A. layover will feature 6…
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Kerry James Marshall’s Mastry Examines the Power of the Image
In 2008, artist Kerry James Marshall was the subject of an oral history interview with the Smithsonian Institute where he recalled his childhood memory of the Watts riots of 1965. He remembered hearing sirens and seeing smoke, miles away coming from where he used to live in Nickerson Gardens. Over the course of the afternoon…
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Last Call! Signifying Form at the Landing Gallery
To signify means, “to make a sign or signal”. In a NYT book review penned by professor John Wideman in 1988, the writer explains how the practice of “signifying” assumes a more nuanced connotation within the black community. “In black vernacular, Signifying is a sign that words cannot be trusted, that even the most literal utterance…
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National Pink Day, Through Art
So today is National Pink Day and everyone is busy sharing pictures of their best selves donning pink clothes and drinking frosé (I had no idea frozen rosé was a thing until last week). But for me, the first thing I thought of was James Turrell’s Breathing Light which just wrapped its legendary 5 year…
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A Word on Juneteenth
Today’s Instagram Post on @cultureshockart “Juneteenth is a day of mixed emotions for me. A wise, dear friend says this is a reminder of how close joy and grief are often connected. The joy comes from thinking of the beautiful history of my family today and the grief is tied to the complexities in knowing…
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Playlist-30 Day Music Challenge
It’s not all about art reviews over here, and today I decided to share some music with you all. I simply cannot overstate how important music is in my life, and for that I am forever grateful to my dad for bringing me up around an eclectic array of musical artists. For those of you…
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Extreme Times Call for Extreme Heroines: Betye Saar at the Craft & Folk Art Museum
Wall color plays a specific role in Betye Saar’s latest exhibit at the Craft and Folk Museum in Los Angeles. The second floor gallery is painted in a soft shade of stone blue and in the world of laundry products, blue is a color reflector that makes whites appear whiter. The color has been a…
Colony Little, Culture Shock Art 