Art

Two Black Artists and Their Urgent Work on Exhibit at Baltimore Museum of Art

THE AFRO — Two artists have exhibits that take on issues of violence, Black culture and identity in their own distinct ways.

Published

4 years ago

February 2, 2019

Oakland Post

By George Kevin Jordan

Two artists have exhibits that take on issues of violence, Black culture and identity in their own distinct ways at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD.

Mark Bradford most known for his large abstract pieces brings forth a body of work that infuses Greek mythology, poetry, hair salons and questions of identity.

“‘Tomorrow Is Another Day’ recycles ordinary materials in an homage to a shared American experience, recalling memories of his mother’s hair salon or the streets of Los Angeles,” according to the description of the exhibit.

When you first enter the exhibit space you are confronted with “Spoiled Feet” a collage installment that literally takes up the entire room. Its vibrant colors are only outmatched by its size. The space seems claustrophobic in conjunction with the piece. You are holding the walls to get through it. The lighting which places emphasis on the edge of the work, creates large looming shadows and only work to make the piece larger than life.

Another stand out installment is literally the centerpiece of one of the rooms. “Medusa” is a heap of coils and curls made from Acrylic paint, paper, rope and chalk. Though the title pulls from Greek mythology, in Bradford’s hands it takes the myth and places it on top of more modern forms of pop culture.

“In many ways Medusa wasn’t Medusa without being turned into Medusa by a man,” Bradford stated in his explanation of the piece. “Biggie made Lil’ Kim. This idea of the monster, hypersexualized, huge-butt, claw-like, long-weaved Superwoman – that’s all a fabrication of popular-culture male fantasy.”

As you leave the exhibit one of the more subtle, yet no less moving pieces is the short film “Niagara.” It shows a Black man walking down the street. It seems simple but is working on so many different levels. Bradford explained that it pays homage to Marilyn Monroe walking in a similar fashion in a 1953 film with the same name. But it invokes conversation about who gets to walk the streets, and pulls at questions of identity, gentrification and urban areas. It’s a perfect end to a bewildering and stimulating exhibit. Bradford’s work is on display until March 3.

Just down the hall in the American Art section is another exhibit with a different feel but no less urgent.

Ebony G. Patterson’s “…for little whispers…” is an exhibit that might have you revisiting it several times. That’s because the subject matter and work unravel in your brain over time.

At first glance the space looks like your stereotypical idea of a little girls room, with pink polkadot wallpaper and bright Hello Kitty dolls and toys everywhere. As you circle around the space you notice the walls are a little too dark for pink. They resemble red. And the deeply hued floor lends to a room that feels grave and dire. As you look in the corner, a kaleidoscope of butterflies take over the intersection of two walls. They look beautiful and pretty as individuals, but clustered together it makes the room feel ominous.

On top of a tapestry filled with more toys are several pairs of glass shoes. The work is a memorial to children killed in violent crimes. The piece is stark and unsettling as toys hide the darker crimes committed by adults on children. Just down the hall, a smaller piece of Patterson’s shows 150 guns decorated and painted and embroidered. All the pieces are mixed media, but the message is vivid and unsettling. Patterson’s exhibit will be on display until April 7.

The BMA is free and open to the public. To learn more about the exhibits please visit the website.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Art

Artist Highlight: TJ Walkup “Iconoclast, Cartoon Illustrator, Filmmaker”

Born in 1970 in Napa, California, TJ has studied and practices in multiple creative and technical disciplines, MIDI and Sound Design, Stagecraft, Art and Graphic Arts in LA, Napa, Central Coast and San Francisco. TJ is a solo artist and a contributor and collaborator in various forms from art shows, published in activist rags advocating for homeless with Street Spirit, Street Sheet and Homeless in the Homeland.

Published

1 month ago

April 27, 2023

Oakland Post

Today TJ and his wife Christina own and operate a small production company Omnific Pictures. He is actively illustrating zines, books and re- imagining classic literature as graphic novels, and makes experimental music under a secret moniker in the top 10 of the genre for 8 years.

TJ recalls “I had a one-man painting show at the last club with a cabaret license in SF and Edward Snowden was in attendance”. Locally TJ produced the Punk and Edge Arts Festival “Mocktoberfest,” the first of its kind in Vallejo.

Children received instruments and lessons free of charge in their chosen genre. This was in partnership with the Mira Theater and included 2 stages at the Empress and Mira theaters with 13 bands as well as a showing of “Afropunk” and an art show. Former museum director Jim Kern’s set list sheets from “The Cramps” appeared in the art show as well as an “Otaku Patrol Group” Cyberpunk leather jacket as artifact displays.

Klaus Flouride of the Dead Kennedy’s was in attendance and a presenter through Schroom Custom Guitarworks, Consumer music and Ernie Ball were sponsors.

Today TJ and his wife Christina own and operate a small production company Omnific Pictures.

He is actively illustrating zines, books and re- imagining classic literature as graphic novels, and makes experimental music under a secret moniker in the top 10 of the genre for 8 years.

This Artist Highlight was brought to you by the Vallejo Commission on Culture and the Arts.

Art

Choreographer, Poet, Playwright Robert Henry Johnson, 54

Robert Henry Johnson, a Bay Area dancer, choreographer, and playwright, passed away on Dec. 16, 2022. His body was identified in March. Johnson will be missed deeply. He worked in the Bay Area for decades, teaching a generation of Black artists.

Published

2 months ago

April 8, 2023

Oakland Post

Robert Henry Johnson. Facebook profile photo.

By Zoe Jung

Robert Henry Johnson, a Bay Area dancer, choreographer, and playwright, passed away on Dec. 16, 2022. His body was identified in March.

Johnson will be missed deeply. He worked in the Bay Area for decades, teaching a generation of Black artists.

He was born Jan. 30, 1968, to Robert Gonzales, a guitarist, and jazz singer Lady Mem’fis. He grew up in the Western Addition neighborhood showing early talent in theatre and dance.

One of the first students to graduate from the San Francisco School of Performing Arts, Johnson went on to receive a full scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet School in 1985, where he studied for four years. After graduating, he moved further into the world of writing and choreography.

He applied for a playwrights’ residency at Sugar Shack Performance Gallery in 1992 where he staged, directed and developed several of his plays. For his poetic and lively writing style, he was honored with the Levi’s & Strauss Certificate of Literary Appreciation that same year.

In 1993, he founded the Robert Henry Johnson Dance Company the same year his first play, “Poison Ground,” was featured in the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and was produced by the Hartford Stage Company two years later.

Over time he created works for the Bavarian State Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Oakland Ballet, and others.

Although his troupe performed for several years, earning local and national acclaim, he disbanded it to focus on solo efforts.

Among those efforts were writing plays and poetry. In the months before his passing, he had taken up a challenge to create poems just for his Facebook audience.

At the turn of the year, Facebook posts from friends showed they were concerned that they couldn’t get in touch with him, especially around his birthday.

When his death was announced, there was an outpouring of grief on social media.

On March 27, Wanda Sabir of Wanda’s Picks radio held an online memorial for Johnson. Each person attending was given a five-minute window to remember Johnson, tell stories about him, speak to his passing, and celebrate his life.

More than 80 people came to watch the memorial on YouTube, which ran for about two hours.

Dancer, teacher, and author Halifu Osumare began the memorial with a libation, invoking the spirits of the ancestors to help mourners through their grief and help Johnson’s spirit find its way.

Raissa Simpson, the founder of PUSH Dance Company, said, “He was young, gifted, and Black, the epitome of it. And he also mentored so many of us, so many of us young Black choreographers. He stood up for us, he protected us . . . he did a lot for us.”

Sherrie Taylor, Johnson’s cousin, said, “He was such an inspiration to everyone here. He will always be a bright light in my life because that’s what he did. He shined like a bright light. He was a wonderful person, and I just wish I could have spent some more time with him.”

Antoine Hunter said it was “a time to celebrate that light that was lit from the day I met him.” At the end of his speaking window, Hunter shared that the last words he said to Johnson were “I love you.”

Another celebration of Johnson’s memory will be held April 8 at the Zaccho Dance Theatre at 1777 Yosemite Ave., San Francisco, and another on May 27 at the African American Art and Culture Complex at 762 Fulton St, San Francisco. Time to be announced.

Art

Oakland Museum of California to Feature Works of NIAD Artists

Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is partnering with Richmond’s NIAD Art Center and other Bay Area organizations serving artists with developmental disabilities to present “Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD,” a large-scale, multimedia exhibition Fri., May 19, 2023, through Jan. 21, 2024.

Published

2 months ago

April 7, 2023

Oakland Post

Luis Estrada at work at the NIAD Art Center. (Photo courtesy of OMCA)

By Kathy Chouteau

OMCA said it will be “a major exhibition celebrating the myriad works of world-renowned contemporary artists with developmental disabilities producing work of incredible power, exuberance, humor, complexity and joy across multiple mediums and styles.”

Artists from Creativity Explored in San Francisco and Creative Growth in Oakland will join NIAD in the exhibition, sharing their “powerful work across multiple artistic disciplines” including painting, sculpture, film, multimedia, textiles and more, per the museum.

Photo courtesy of the Oakland Museum of California.

It’s the largest museum exhibition to date featuring artists from the three Bay Area organizations, including: Saul Alegria, Peter Cordova, Tranesha Smith-Kilgore, Marlon Mullen, Dorian Reid, William Scott, Dinah Shapiro, Nicole Storm and Marilyn Wong.

“Our organizations were founded under the premise that everyone has creative potential that deserves to be nurtured and celebrated,” said Creativity Explored, Creative Growth and NIAD Art Center in a collaborative statement.

The organizations added that the existing and emerging artists from their studios “are powerful members of the Bay Area art scene who provide an important lens into how art is a tool for communication, expression and connection.” They said they’re excited “to bring this show to life” with OMCA.