Category: black history
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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…
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The Ghost in the Machine: Mark Bradford & Robert Glasper Combine Creative Forces
Art and music collide in a beautifully explosive Steinway & Sons collaboration that showcases the Spirio piano in a new light. The Steinway Commission pairs visual artists with Steinway musicians to create unique works of art that reflect their collaborative vision and process. This three year project makes its debut with a Steinway Spirio piano that…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-28: Shinique Smith
When I started Culture Shock Art in 2010, my goal was to explore street art and graffiti in Los Angeles, after I stumbled upon street artist JR’s work completely by accident. The process of discovery through investigating the origins of one of his murals led me to his 2010 TED talk after which I purchased one of his lithographs. That…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-27: Ebony Patterson
Last year I took a class with the Sotheby’s Institute of Arts where a fellow student shared the work of Ebony Patterson, and I have not forgotten their work since. One particular piece stands out to me as one that honors the past while challenging the viewer to see the present. In Patterson’s 2014 performance…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-26: Carrie Mae Weems
Last year I highlighted Carrie Mae Weems and I love her work so much that she deserves another mention. Weems was recently announced as the 2016 National Artist nominee by the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen. “Founded in 1966, Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a premier destination in America for art making and critical dialogue,…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-22: Norman Lewis
Norman Lewis was one of the first pioneers of Abstract Expressionism, but his legacy as an artist among his AbEx contemporaries is relatively unknown. His work was an incredible blend of figurative and abstract painting and I am glad to see that it has finally found its way into institutional programming. “Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis” is…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-20-21: Kadir Nelson & His Tribute to the Schomburg Center
The latest cover of the New Yorker features the work of artist/illustrator Kadir Nelson who pays homage to the artists, writers, performers and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance. This piece also celebrates the Schomburg Research Center in Harlem. The Schomburg is a branch of the New York Public Library that is dedicated to the documentation, preservation…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-19: Noah Davis “The Imitation of Wealth”
Noah Davis’ storefront installation titled “Imitation of Wealth” is nearing the end of its 5 month run at MOCA Grand. If you haven’t seen it, you have 3 days left, it’s free and it’s a fascinating work. The installation is housed in a small vacant conference room space across from the museum’s gift shop and is…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-18: David Hammons
Most of David Hammons work is aligned with assemblage (the practice of incorporating found materials in art), so this particular piece departs from his traditional aesthetic. Despite this, the work remains contextually rooted in some of his earlier themes. In the 1980s Hammons created the “Basketball Hoops Series” to address the myth of sport as…
Colony Little, Culture Shock Art 