This exhibition, at Phillips Auction House in London, successfully brings together various contemporary American artists such as Awol Erizku, Kehinde Wiley, David Hammons, Nick Cave and others. Stepping into Phillips gallery from London’s Berkeley Square, the viewer is greeted by a Jean- Michel Basquiat painting (1981 untitled), a self-portrait of sorts. The gallery is clearly proud of this work as it has an entire white wall devoted to a description of it. The description explains that this piece epitomizes the rest of the exhibition, “American African American,” which unfortunately finished today, 25 November. Basquiat is known for being very connected to his black culture and using that influence (along with others) in each work, so it is fitting that he is the star of the show, literally and figuratively.
The exhibition brings together various contemporary American artists such as Awol Erizku, Kehinde Wiley, David Hammons, Nick Cave and others. The work and practice of each is unique, but what unites them is their inspiration; it comes from their history and their ancestors as African Americans in America. Some are instillations such as Nick Cave’s King of the Hill, which is a shockingly large and mesmerizing collection of brightly colored blankets piled on top of one another very purposefully. The viewer is allowed to get as close to the work as she wants (I even touched it) which is an interesting and rare decision made by the artist and probably the curator of the exhibition, Arnold Lehman, Brooklyn Museum Director.
Another instillation is done by David Hammons, entitled Basketball Installation. The work interrupts the room beautifully and decisively as we are forced to walk around a wooden log with a basketball hoop attached to the top; then, there is a rustic ceramic pot a few feet away which we also have to dodge. This works well in the gallery because as we stroll through and around the instillation we are brought closer to, and then further away, from the paintings and photographs on the walls. One of these paintings is Mequitta Ahuja’s self- portrait. Ahuja, along with other artists in this exhibition, is intent on expressing her identity, and what that means to her through art. In fact, she has turned to creating only self-portraits in the last ten years.
With racial tensions high in the United States and a need for a better understanding of different cultures, this show seems very relevant. The combination of large and interrupting instillations and smaller, more detailed photographs or paintings works well to highlight the connections these artists have with their past. As the exhibition explains, since the 1960’s and into the 70’s and 80’s there has been a revolution in African American Art. Artists draw upon their history as a muse while creating works that redefine their future. This exhibition embodies that explosion of talent while furthering it at the same time.
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