SIS

New mini prints by Rikki Wright to add to the collection.

I’m going to do a post highlighting the various artists works I’ve had the privilege of acquiring some time soon. For now, I just want to highlight how important it is to support living and local artists.

On Support and Accessibility

Someone might see these 4 x 6 prints and not consider them as part of an art collection, but when building a collection, support and accessibility go hand in hand. I purchased my first painting 8 years ago for $20. The artist made his work, that was worth much more than twenty bucks, accessible to someone that had the desire to support him but not the means. Before that day, I never thought I could own an actual painting. That 12 x 12 painting opened up a new world of possibilities for me.

A couple of years ago, an artist I was just getting to know came over to my house with another artist of friend of mine. When she walked in, she was surprised by all the art on the walls. She recognized a couple of the photographic works. She commented on how she never really considered purchasing art from peer artists she admired and how cool it was to see these artist’s work hanging up in someones home.

My $20 investment inspired someone else to start investing in the work of fellow artists. We all can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on a piece of art but we might be able to spend $10 or $20. That $20 might help that artist get some supplies, or food, or a new fan that has the means to spend more. We just have to support. Artists that make their work more accessible (by selling small versions) help us do that.

Someone's Muse

UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

Planes

I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it out of the house on Saturday. Fires have been destroying parts of LA and Ventura Counties since Thursday afternoon. Thick smoke enveloped the sky, masking the sun. Colors of blush and tangerine spilled through the windows in my house. Reflecting on the destruction and praying for lives lost made for a beautifully somber afternoon. I went out anyway. I’m blessed to live a mile or so from the The Underground Museum. Not wanting to travel too far in this air, I made my over. Stopped at a red light, I looked over to see a woman wearing a blue dust mask. A reminder of the reality that fires were still burning some 40+ miles away, only 20 percent contained.

I was greeted by familiar faces when I walked in. Brandon and Justen are great guys that hold down the fort most days at TUM. They are also amazing artists you’ll get to know soon. I sat with Justen for a few minutes, catching up, before he prepared me for what I was about to experience. He spoke about the response to the show, how emotionally stirring and charged it is. How it confronts the viewer and forces you to connect to the subjects. He told me it was okay to cry before I walked through the double doors and closed them behind me.

The walls were painted purple. TUM purple. Noah’s purple. Gold lettering invites you into the space, letting you know what you are about bear witness to.

“Every human body carries the memories and marks of its origin story.”

I was alone in the space. There was a hollowness in the brief moments of silence. My footsteps. An Asante chant in the background. I feel transported to another place and time— but home. Deana Lawson’s photographs feel like they were made decades ago. I feel a familiarity with the subjects spaces and a kinship with subjects themselves. I know these people. I know someone that knows these people. I’ve looked down on these people. I’ve looked down on myself. This is the confrontation. Being pulled in by the familiar while simultaneously wanting to pull away and disassociate from “these types” of people. I’m breathing heavy as I write this.

“But bodies are also like vessels that contain all of the knowledge, love, and culture needed to imagine themselves beyond the boundaries of earthly acres, and oceans.”

Walking from room to room, the Asante chant ever present, I feel the ancestral plane that is so often spoken of (hey Black Panther) permeating from the corners. We are connected. Soweto to South Central. We are connected.

By the time I reach the last image the tears have pooled in my eyes. We are a beautiful thing.

Viewers notes: I am not an art critic and this is not a critique of the show. Just my thoughts on what I just experienced.

Curatorial Statement, Deana Lawson PLANES

KINGS, 2018 Deana Lawson

BARBARA AND MOTHER, 2017 Deana Lawson

ETERNITY, 2017 Deana Lawson

There is so much more to see. More to sit with. More to experience. This show will be on view until February 17, 2019. Check out TUM’s site to learn more about the artist and this amazing work.

musing on Dana Scruggs

Last night I went on an IG muting spree. I muted about 14 photography accounts and a host of others that I didn’t feel were adding value to my viewing experience. The artists, I muted because I was tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. Some I unfollowed out of professional jealousy (yes, I suffer from impostor syndrome). Others I unfollowed because their work had a recycled feel to it. I get that everything has been done before but we are in a season of uninteresting imagery in the name of defying convention. I mean, glossy and airbrushed images had their moment. For a long time (that has never been my style). But this collective shift to poorly lit people in muted tones and fake shallow depth of field makes me cringe during the times I choose to relieve my stress and be inspired, hello Instagram. If I see one more fashion story shot on a tennis court that has nothing to do with tennis I might delete my whole shit. A strong case can be made that many of us are inspired by the same masters, however, some just mirror what’s hot in the streets (VSCO does make some cool filters. If that’s your thing). I miss originality. I miss the thrill of discovering a fresh perspective. Something new…

Dana Scruggs is a photographer based in Brooklyn, NY USA. I remember reading she studied photography at Youtube University. Youtube is an amazing place. You really can learn anything. I’m often drawn to artists that don’t take the traditional route of MFA programs or assisting a big name. They serve as constant reminders that you just have to keep working. Anyway, I was initially drawn to the way her subjects fill the frame. Reminiscent of an Ernie Barnes painting, her subjects are often long limbed and in motion, frozen in time. She uses shadow like a paint brush. Deliberate. You can tell she takes her time. Dana Scruggs is the first woman to photograph an athlete for ESPN’s The Body Issue. There is an awesome article about Dana if you want to learn more about her.

Dana Scruggs for ESPN

Screenshot of Dana Scruggs Instagram @danascruggs

Deana Lawson | Planes

Looking forward to checking out this show this weekend.

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