During Frieze week there were two booths that I regret not seeing in person. Alison Saar’s booth hosted by L.A. Louver was one of them. Her solo presentation, Chaos in the Kitchen featured a series of sculptures and prints by the artist that pay homage to the sanctity of the kitchen as a place of … Continue reading Artist a Day: Alison Saar
Artist Radcliffe Bailey conducts a unique form of artistic alchemy through the use of his keen sense of curiosity, his penchant for found materials, and his mined memory that he combines to preserve the legacies of people who may otherwise be forgotten to time. Bailey’s practice draws on specific memories, one of which is a … Continue reading Artist a Day: Radcliffe Bailey
“The genesis of energy is central to the mystery of our existence as animate beings in an inanimate universe.” Fred Eversley Fred Eversley was an electronic engineer who turned curiosity and experimentation into sculptures that capture his fascination with light and energy. His work beautifully merges art and science in a practice that’s defined by … Continue reading Artist a Day: Fred Eversley
As a spectacle, Frieze didn’t disappoint. Fair organizers commissioned 12 artists to create site specific work on Paramount Studio’s New York backlot in a collaborative undertaking called Frieze Projects. The backlot was definitely the show stopper, and my favorite installation came from Karon Davis who transformed a building facade into a Junior High School in … Continue reading Artist a Day: Karon Davis
Art fairs are like glorified prom nights for collectors and as such, galleries are the poor chauffeurs, dress makers, and florists that have to cater to whims of giddy, hopeful, attendees– Frieze L.A. was no exception. For those of us who are outside both the blue chip collector class and the P&L engines that drive … Continue reading Artist a Day: Frieze Edition
One of the last shows I attended in 2018 was the Fowler Museum’s Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths. Of the 200+ works on display which included tools, totems, weapons, jewelry, and adornments, the most interesting items told stories of people who commissioned blacksmiths to create pieces that told their life story. Other works … Continue reading With Gratitude, So Long 2018!
Two separate migration patterns brought Americans from the south and mid-west to California in the early 1900s: The Great Migration and the Dust Bowl. One group fled persecution under racist Jim Crow laws, while the other fled droughts exacerbated by over farming. The economic and social impacts of these migrations not only shaped the state … Continue reading Karon Davis Explores the Spirit of Home and What it Means When We Must Leave it Behind: Muddy Water at Wilding Cran
“The Negro has been run over for 50 years, but it must stop now, and pistols and shotguns are the only weapons to stop a mob.”~ Eli Cooper As a farmer and an outspoken advocate for unionizing farm laborers, Eli Cooper was determined to fight for better wages from landowners, however his advocacy was met … Continue reading Artist a Day: Melvin Edwards
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 … Continue reading On Monuments and Men
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 … Continue reading Last Call! Signifying Form at the Landing Gallery
Culture Shock Art 