{"id":8267,"date":"2022-05-09T17:55:19","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T17:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/?p=8267"},"modified":"2022-05-11T11:07:15","modified_gmt":"2022-05-11T11:07:15","slug":"exhibit-spotlight-visible-man-art-and-black-male-subjectivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/exhibit-spotlight-visible-man-art-and-black-male-subjectivity\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Visible Man: Art and Black Male Subjectivity\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ernest Shaw Jr.: “Squeegee” (2021) and “Blues for Mr. Charlie” (2020)<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Curated by artist and art historian Michael D. Harris, <\/strong>Visible Man: Art and Black Male Subjectivity<\/em><\/strong> was on display at Bowling Green State University Fine Arts Center Galleries from January to April of this year.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visible Man <\/em>presents a compelling look at the complexity of Black males and masculinity through racial, cultural, and personal perspectives. The seed for the exhibit was planted in 2017 when BGSU alumni Colonel John Moore and the late Edward Sewell wished to create an exhibition with Black alumni in mind. Their vision was to tell a more inclusive story of the university\u2019s Black men. Visible Man <\/em>\u201cis an attempt to avoid notions of the \u2018Black body\u2019 and a discourse which emphasizes racial categorization in favor of a more nuanced and diverse cultural view,\u201d reads the exhibit\u2019s statement.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Arturo Lindsay, “Rey Bayono” (1994)<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Featuring 52 pieces by 32 artists, the exhibit includes an assortment of mediums such as paintings, drawings, sculpture, video installations, prints, and photographs. Emerging and seasoned artists showcased their works, and each brought with them their own unique life experiences in relation to Black masculinity. As described in the statement, \u201cThe artists are male and female, young and old, American and Caribbean, from the Midwest and the coasts, well-known and less so.\u201d Artists featured include the exhibit\u2019s curator Michael D. Harris, Wadsworth Jarell, James Phillips, Ernest Shaw Jr., and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The exhibition is organized based on specific themes. The barbershop experience is a prominent theme explored, as these shops are a significant part of Black communities. Dr. Fahamu Pecou\u2019s \u201cWatch the Throne\u201d sculpture is a standout piece; Pecou transforms the practical barbershop chair into an object of royalty, implying that all those who sit in it are kings. Behind the chair, a video installation of Black men receiving haircuts plays on loop. Portraits of barbers in their shops by notable photographer Dawoud Bey are also included in this section. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Fahamu Pecou, \u201cWatch the Throne” (2020)<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Spiritual themes, Caribbean art, political works, and arresting portraits of Black men, such as Ernest Shaw Jr.\u2019s painting of James Baldwin, are displayed as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visible Man <\/em>is in memory of Dr. David Driskell and BGSU alumnus Edward Sewell. Although the exhibition at BGSU has ended, gallery director and exhibition organizer Jacqueline Nathan is hopeful that the show will travel to several other venues throughout the United States.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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