Visual Interest: Monsters and men

Monsters and Men directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green

Caught this film over the weekend. I’m surprised by the level of talent I see in independent films. The casting was great. The story is very heavy and very real. It’s one of those films that stay with you long after you leave the theatre.

views

Last week I made it out to the California African American Museum (CAAM) here in L.A. for Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, a celebration of their fall exhibitions. Nearly 2,000 people came out to see the shows. It wouldn’t be a party without the deejays and food trucks. It was a really good time. I think the electric slide happened at least 3 times. It’s always a wonderful experience when the community comes together. CAAM does an amazing job of engaging audiences with relevant, thought provoking works from artists of Color. To quote EJ Hills’ work A Declaration, “We deserve to see ourselves elevated.”

Here are pics of the some of works on view…

Nina Chanel Abney Royal Flush

Incite (COM), 2015 Nina Chanel Abney

Mad 51st Street, 2012 Nina Chanel Abney

Untitled (XXXXXX), 2015 Nina Chanel Abney

Robert Pruitt: Devotion

A Brother I Have Had on Earth, 2017 Robert Pruitt

Eve After the Fall, 2018 Robert Pruitt

California Bound: Slavery on the New Frontier 1848-1865

This show was curated by my friend Tyree Boyd-Pates and discusses the little known history of California’s participation in the enslavement of Africans.

It’s a lot to take in but so worth it

The history of Bridget “Biddy” Mason is a fascinating one. Inspiring too

If you’re in the L.A. area check out these shows. Also on view are Los Angeles Freedom Rally, 1963 and The Notion of Family. There’s a lot to see in L.A. I’m looking forward to getting out to more shows.

musing on Dario Calmese

Like most of the artists that will be featured here, I discovered Dario Calmese on Instagram. Dario’s work (specifically his nudes) reminded me of what initially drew me to Robert Mapplethorpe, but without the sensationalism and voyeurism. There is something in the way that he photographs the body… the intimacy, the relationship he has with the subject. The freedom. It’s all conveyed in his work. He is my new favorite. Please check out his cv. I can’t wait for him to do a show in L.A. I also love his project The Black Art Yearbook

Full disclosure, I almost decided not to proceed with Colored Genus (soon come) after I learned about his “The Black Art Yearbook”. I had to remind myself that we all have unique voices and various perspectives and that there is room for all of us.

Screenshot of Dario Calmese’s Instagram, check out his work @dariothephotog

I stan for curators

I never wanted to be a curator. I love the process of developing an art exhibit. I love designing the layout and choosing what pieces will go where. I love watching how spectators experience the show and engage with the work. I never wanted to be a curator. I love curators. The mind it takes to choose which artists to show and which works of that artist to show and how different artists works fit together is an art itself. I often walk through museums and wonder how they managed to pull it all off. One of my favorite shows this year was Made in L.A at The Hammer Museum. It was organized by Anne Ellegood, senior curator, and Erin Christovale, assistant curator. I am still in awe at how they put that show together. But this isn’t a post about Made in L.A. this is a post about Thelma Golden and the wonderful write up featured on LATimes.com as she is slated to receive a 2018 J. Paul Getty Medal which is given every year to individuals for their “extraordinary contributions to the practice, understanding and support of the arts.”

I was first introduced to Thelma Golden’s work in college when I borrowed a copy of the book Black Male: representations of masculinity in contemporary American art. She curated the show of the same name for The Whitney Museum in 1994. That book changed my life in more ways than one. It introduced me to a way of seeing that I wasn’t ready to comprehend (it would be another 4 years before I picked up a camera). She has molded a wonderful group of curators through The Studio Museum of Harlem and inspired a host of others. She champions Black artists. She is the springboard that elevates careers. She is everything.

Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times