Category: black history
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-6: Yashua Klos
In his current exhibition, “How to Hide in the Wind”, Yashua Klos uses collage and printmaking to transform abstracted pieces of printed paper into figurative profiles. His subjects take on a three dimensional quality as they physically emerge through wood blocks revealing one external image while concealing fragments of themselves left behind. This visual representation of code switching demonstrates…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-4: James Van Der Zee
James Van Der Zee was a prolific photographer documenting Harlem in the 1920’s and 1930’s with work that earned him the unofficial title of “Photographer of the Harlem Renaissance.” With a mission to highlight middle class life, his work featured portraits of black New Yorkers, showing a side of life that was virtually invisible outside the African American community. He was very…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-3: Njideka Akunyili Crosby
“Ask the ‘Why’, it’s not enough to say ‘it’s beautiful.’ “~Njideka Akunyili Crosby “Beautiful” is exactly how I described Crosby’s show at the Hammer in November. There are so many layers to her work it’s hard to focus on one aspect of it. I now realize that in many ways that is the point. On the surface…
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-2: Alma Thomas
The “Artist a Day Challenge” celebrates Black History Month by highlighting Black artists and diverse forms of cultural expression across the African diaspora.
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Artist a Day Challenge 2016-1: Frederic Douglass & the Power of Photography
In 2015 I embarked on a journey to highlight artists of color during Black History Month and I am happy to bring this important feature back to Culture Shock Art. Instead of the longer theoretical essays, I currently explore on TONDI, this February I will explore one artist, artistic medium or art movement each day during February. Both 2015…
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Virtual Exhibition: Burn Baby Burn!
TONDI’s first virtual exhibition Burn Baby Burn will take you into the work of Mark Bradford and Noah Purifoy who were each given large scale retrospectives at the Hammer and LACMA this summer. The virtual exhibition is anchored by two essays that probe into specific works found in each exhibit. In Scorched Earth we examine how…
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Art Book Review: “A Harlem Family”, Gordon Parks
“I got fed up with hearing all these people, even Negroes, ask, “Why are those people rioting?” My personal project was to show them why. You have to know what they go through before you can understand why all the violence takes place…” ~ Gordon Parks I love to collect art books that feature prominent…
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Missing the Marc
In 2015, “Cultural Appropriation” has replaced 2013’s “micro-aggression” as journalistic code for bias and ignorance. Notice I didn’t say racism, because in many cases I don’t think that cultural appropriation is deliberately borne out of racism, but it is certainly symptomatic of it. This week’s lesson in cultural appropriation came to us via Black Twitter and…
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Artist a Day Challenge: Hank Willis Thomas x James Baldwin
For the past week I’ve been thinking about James Baldwin; so much so that I was searching for an original copy of “The Price of the Ticket”. In the meantime, it’s Armory Week in NY and all I am hearing about is Hank Willis Thomas and his art.sy collaboration. While looking at Thomas’ work on-line…
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Artist a Day Challenge No. 26: Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas has a unique style that is nothing short of bodacious. Her colorful, glitter infused portraiture work is commands your attention and invites you delve into a deeper understanding of the person that is being portrayed. Her use of interiors and recent pivot to abstract portraits were a mystery to me because I couldn’t connect the…
Colony Little, Culture Shock Art 