Studio Museum in Harlem
Fore presents twenty-nine emerging artists of African descent who live and work across the United States. Born between 1971 and 1987, the artists in Fore work in diverse media, often blending artistic practices in new and innovative ways. While some artists create large-scale oil paintings, others draw on top of photographs, or combine sculpture and two-dimensional work. More than half of the works in Fore have never been exhibited publicly; some are site-specific and react directly to the Harlem neighborhood and its social landscape.
Fore is the fourth in a series of emerging artist exhibitions presented by the Studio Museum, following Freestyle (2001), Frequency (2005–06) and Flow (2008). This exhibition traces the development of artistic ideas since Flow, taking into account social, political and cultural conditions in the United States. Whether gathering and assembling everyday objects, referencing urban architecture and economies, or using film and video to mirror the transmission and reception of information through social media, the artists in Fore emphasize that contemporary art is deeply tied to its location, time and historical context. This exhibition investigates questions at the core of the Studio Museum’s mission, exploring art’s relationship to U.S. and global communities.
perFOREmance, two three-day performance presentations in December 2012 and February 2013, provides a platform for the new and commissioned performances in Fore.
Organized by Lauren Haynes, Naima J. Keith and Thomas J. Lax, Assistant Curators at the Studio Museum, Fore continues the Studio Museum’s mission as the nexus for artists of African descent, locally, nationally and internationally, and for work inspired by black culture.
Fore is made possible thanks to Leadership Support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Major support provided by Jacques and Natasha Gelman Trust and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Additional support provided by the Ed Bradley Family Foundation.
Exhibition brochure
Artists in the exhibition:
Sadie Barnette / b. 1984, Oakland, California; Lives and works in Los Angeles, California
Kevin Beasley / b. 1985, Alexandria, Virginia; Lives and works in New York, New York
Crystal Z. Campbell / b. 1980, Prince George’s County, Maryland; Lives and works in New York, New York and Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Caitlin Cherry / b. 1987, Chicago, Illinois; Lives and works in New York, New York
Jamal Cyrus / b. 1973, Houston, Texas; Lives and works in Houston, Texas
Noah Davis / b. 1983, Seattle, Washington; Lives and works in Los Angeles, California
Abigail DeVille / b. 1981, New York, New York; Lives and works in New York, New York
Zachary Fabri / b. 1977, Miami, Florida; Lives and works in New York, New York
Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle / b. 1987, Louisville, Kentucky; Lives and works in Los Angeles, California
Steffani Jemison / b. 1981, Berkeley, California; Lives and works in New York, New York
Yashua Klos / b. 1977, Chicago, Illinois; Lives and works in New York, New York
Eric Nathaniel Mack / b. 1987, Columbia, Maryland; Lives and works in New York, New York
Harold Mendez / b. 1977, Chicago, Illinois; Lives and works in Chicago, Illinois
Nicole Miller / b. 1982, Tucson, Arizona; Lives and works in Los Angeles, California
Narcissister / b. 1971, New York, New York; Lives and works in New York, New York
Toyin Odutola / b. 1985, Ife, Nigeria; Lives and works in San Francisco, California
Akosua Adoma Owusu / b. 1984, Alexandria, Virginia; Lives and works in Alexandria, Virginia
and Ghana
Jennifer Packer / b. 1984, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Lives and works in New York, New York
Taisha Paggett / b. 1976, Los Angeles, California; Lives and works in Chicago, Illinois and Los
Angeles, California
Valerie Piraino / b. 1981, Kigali, Rwanda; Lives and works in New York, New York
Nikki Pressley / b. 1982, Greenville, South Carolina; Lives and works in Los Angeles, California
Jacolby Satterwhite / b. 1986, Columbia, South Carolina; Lives and works in New York, New York, and Provincetown, Massachussetts
Sienna Shields / b. 1976, Rainbow, Alaska; Lives and works in New York, New York and Rainbow, Alaska
Kianja Strobert / b. 1980, New York, New York; Lives and works in Hudson, New York
Jessica Vaughn / b. 1983, Chicago, Illinois; Lives and works in New York, New York
Cullen Washington Jr. / b. 1976, Alexandria, LA; Lives and works in New York, New York
Nate Young / b. 1981, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; Lives and works in St. Paul, Minnesota
Brenna Youngblood / b. 1979, Riverside, California; Lives and works in Los Angeles, California