Laylah Ali’s Greenheads Are More Than They Seem (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Posted on April 6, 2013 by october

Laylah Ali creates images which are as simple as comic books and as complex and hieroglyphics. Their flat, cartoonish aesthetic sharply contrasts their aggressive and ambiguous subject matter, creating an ambiguously violent viewing experience. Ali creates both intuitive drawings, made in a process she likens to notetaking, and far more meticulous gauche-on-paper paintings, which can …

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Devin Troy Strother Talks Beyonce, Punk Music And The Expectations Of Making ‘Heavy Black’ Art (PHOTOS, INTERVIEW)

Posted on April 6, 2013 by october

  The Huffington Post  |  By Priscilla Frank Editor’s Note: The following interview contains explicit language that some readers might find offensive. “Sometimes I’ll have dinner with the collector and well talk about the work,” Devin Troy Strother says in a phone interview with The Huffington Post. “If there is ‘nigga please’ or ‘bitch’ in …

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Renaissance Portraits Remixed: Artist Mark Abouzeid Poses Modern Immigrants As Masterpiece Stars (PHOTOS)

Posted on April 6, 2013 by october

Italian photographer Mark Abouzeidremixes all your favorite Renaissance-era portraits in his new series, “The New New World.” Recasting modern day immigrants as the stars of famous masterpieces, he recreates paintings of Amerigo Vespucci and Catherine de’ Medici with their best 21st century dopplegangers. Abouzeid explains to The Daily Mail his collaboration with some of Florence’s …

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Molly Crabapple’s ‘Shell Game’ Paintings Depict A Year In Crisis From Occupy Wall Street To Anonymous Hacks

Posted on April 6, 2013 by october

By Leigh Silver Follow: Health Care Crisis, Molly Crabapple, Tunisian Revolutions, Anonymous, Greek Protests, m15 Movement, Molly-Crabapple, Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Wall Street Art, Paintings, Political Art, Arts News Activist artist Molly Crabapple’s new series of paintings titled “Shell Game” at Smart Clothes Gallery in New York portray a darkly humorous year in cartoonish figures. …

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Beyonce Rocks Braids And Bold Printed Outfits During Anniversary Trip To Cuba (PHOTO)

Posted on April 5, 2013 by october

The Huffington Post  |  By Julee Wilson Bold printed ensembles and a head full of box braids have become one of Solange Knowles’ signature looks. However, it was big sister Beyoncé who was spotted rocking the dynamic style while in Cuba on a wedding anniversary trip with hubby Jay-Z. On Wednesday Bey dined in a …

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Toni Morrison – Mini Bio

Posted on April 4, 2013 by october

Born Chloe Anthony Wofford, in 1931 in Lorain (Ohio), the second of four children in a black working-class family. Displayed an early interest in literature. Studied humanities at Howard and Cornell Universities, followed by an academic career at Texas Southern University, Howard University, Yale, and since 1989, a chair at Princeton University. She has also …

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The Misguided Campaign to ‘Bring Back the Afro’

Posted on April 3, 2013 by october

Dodai Stewart When is a compliment not really a compliment? When is praise not really praise? Here’s a hint: When you’re a white man reminiscing about the good old days, when black people wore Afros. Yeah…no. Talk about reducing something complex to something simple. Yesterday on Slate, Simon Doonan posted a piece titled “Bring Back …

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Louvre Gets New Leader, Jean-Luc Martinez, A Greek Antiquities Expert

Posted on April 3, 2013 by october

PARIS — France’s Louvre museum is getting a new director – the man who is leading the restoration of its most famous Greek sculpture and has his hands in some of the institutions latest efforts to expand its reach. Jean-Luc Martinez, a French specialist in Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities who has worked at the …

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Santigold ‘Disparate Youth’ Off ‘Master Of My Make Believe’ (VIDEO)

Posted on April 3, 2013April 3, 2013 by october

Most of the world knows Santi White by the name Santigold, her stage name, and the title of the 2008 debut album that got everyone talking. Now it’s the Philly-born singer’s upcoming album that’s making headlines. Coinciding with the NYT premiere of the cover art for the May 1 album Master Of My Make Believe, …

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Change: On Kehinde Wiley’s ‘An Economy of Grace’ at Sean Kelly

Posted on April 3, 2013 by october

Bobby Elliott Writer living in New York City On the surface, “An Economy of Grace” at Sean Kelly (528 W. 29th) is a well-timed game-changer for painter Kehinde Wiley. After making a name for himself by exclusively painting men, “An Economy of Grace” presents Wiley’s first series of portraits featuring women. For those who have …

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Kara Walker Addresses Art and Controversy at the Newark Public Library

Posted on April 3, 2013April 3, 2013 by october

by Jessica Kramer Conference Producer, The Conference Forum Kara Walker is no stranger to controversy. On Thursday, March 7, 2013, the African-American visual artist addressed a room of more than 100 people in New Jersey’s Newark Public Library to talk about her work and its most recent firestorm. Walker, perhaps best known for her murals …

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On Michael Rosenfeld’s Benny Andrews: There Must Be a Heaven

Posted on April 3, 2013June 7, 2016 by october

Bobby Elliott Poet and writer living in New York City For fans and collectors of 20th century African-American art, the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery has emerged as the place to go. I visited in early February, shortly after “Storm Nemo” had come to town (leaving the streets slushy and the galleries almost empty) and some two …

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NEW HAVEN: Ficre Ghebreyesus

Posted on April 3, 2013 by october

Polychromasia March 30–April 24, 2013 Opening Reception: April 5, 2013 ARTSPACE 50 Orange Street (corner of Orange & Crown) New Haven, CT ArtSpace is delighted to present Ficre Ghebreyesus: Polychromasia. Opening on March 30, 2013, this retrospective exhibition will celebrate the work and life of the late Eritrean-born artist. While his paintings and photographs are …

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Nigeria’s Biggest City Holds A Carnival (PHOTOS)

Posted on April 2, 2013April 2, 2013 by october

LAGOS, Nigeria — In Nigeria’s biggest city, a Monday morning typically sees bumper-to-bumper traffic as people struggle through heat and exhaust fumes to get to work. This Monday, however, the roads were not filled with cars, but with people celebrating the Lagos Carnival. Dancers in colorful costumes resembling those of Brazil’s Carnival shimmied and shook …

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