Category: Art/Culture
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Truth to Power: Sojourner Truth at BAMPFA
“I SELL THE SHADOW TO SUPPORT THE SUBSTANCE.” SOJOURNER TRUTH In 1864 Sojourner Truth, a former slave turned abolitionist, filed a copyright for her name, using photography and mass media as a strategic tool to fight slavery and the damaging propaganda used to perpetuate it. Her astute use of “cartes de visites”using her nom de plume was an economical…
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Time Travel with La Négresse
It is no coincidence that I experienced “La Négresse” by Jean Baptiste Carpeaux while at the Berkeley Art Museum last week. At the time I was reading “Kindred” by Octavia Butler, a pseudo science fiction novel (for lack of a better genre) set simultaneously in slavery and 1976. In the book a woman is transported…
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Feature in Arts.Black: The Provocation of Agency and Ambiguity
Last month, one of my reviews on MoAD’s latest exhibitions was featured on Arts.Black. Please click on the link below to learn more about The Grace Jones Project and Dandy Lion. The Provocation of Agency and Ambiguity I truly appreciate the efforts of Taylor and Jessica to amplify the voices of black arts writers. Check…
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Fred Martins Transforms Cultural Symbols into Historical Icons
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”- Marcus Garvey Fred Martins, a Nigerian visual artist based in the Ukraine has recently completed a new series of images called “Orange, Black and Freedom”. His work combines vibrant graphic design with photography through his use of digitally created hair picks that are transformed into African and…
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The Art of Serendipity: James Van Der Zee & Derek Fordjour
I love little moments of artistic serendipity. I come across them often and they are the fuel behind this site. Today, while looking at the work of photographer James Van Der Zee, I came across this picture: It immediately reminded me of a painting by Derek Fordjour that I fell in love with a few months ago.…
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The Santa Monica Museum of Art Heads East
Last spring, in a strategic move that I related to on a very personal level, the Santa Monica Museum of Art decided to pull up stakes on its Bergamot Station location to re-evaluate its mission in a self-reflective, revitalization effort called SMMoA Unbound. Today the museum announced that it would be relocating from Santa Monica…
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SFMOMA in 3: Part 3
Recognizing that 3 posts about SFMOMA may have been overkill, I would be remiss if I didn’t share some observations on the functional space and the technology in addition to a couple of warnings that may save you from some awkward museum moments. Everything about the new building orchestrates visitors to the Fisher collection, which…
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SF MOMA in 3: Part 2
Now that we got the essentials out of the way in yesterday’s post, it’s time to see some art! As I previously warned, I don’t suggest you try to see everything in 1 day. There are 7 floors of art, so I suggest that you pick 3 and spend some quality time with the collections.…
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SFMOMA in 3
Seasoned arts professionals who visited San Francisco last Thursday for a press preview of the magnificent new Museum of Modern Art also ambitiously popped over to the new Gagosian space, the Wattis Institute or Minnesota St Projects all in the same day. I am far from seasoned. After my day at SFMOMA I stumbled into the bar at 111…
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Why Are We Asking the Same Questions About Lemonade?
I promised myself I was not going to write about Lemonade, but here I am shaking my head. Why is everyone asking the same questions about Lemonade? Who is Becky? Did Jay really cheat? Is Beyoncé paying homage to Pipilotti Rist? Ok that 3rd one is pretty esoteric, but that’s what the art world is…
Colony Little, Culture Shock Art 