Taking its title from Ralph Ellison’s "The Invisible Man," the current exhibition at the Artspace, titled,"Black Is, Black Ain’t," explores a shift in the rhetoric of race from an emphasis on inclusion to a moment where racial identity is being simultaneously rejected and retained. The exhibition brings together works by artists whose work together examines a moment where the cultural production of so-called “blackness” is concurrent with efforts to make race socially and politically irrelevant.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Jason Lazarus Standing at the Grave of Emmitt Till, The Day of Exhumation, June 1, 2005, 2005 archival inkjet print 37 x 50 inches Courtesy of the artist and Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago
William Pope.L One Substance, Eight Supports, One Situation, 2008 8 pine shelves with flour cones dimensions variable Courtesy of the artist
Demetrius Oliver Till, 2004 digital chromogenic print 27 1/4 x 36 1/4 inches Courtesy of Private Collection
Randy Regier Impending Future Bus, 2004 mixed media 56 x 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches Courtesy of the artist
Daniel Roth Cabrini Green Forest (Portal), 2004 two framed drawings, one black and white photograph, one color photograph, and one fiberglass sculpture with colored water Courtesy of the artist and Donald Young Gallery, Chicago
Deborah Grant Capsizing the Niggerati, 2006 paper, ink, acrylic on Arches W.C. paper 4 parts, 24 1/4 x 20 1/4 inches each Courtesy of the artist and Dunn and Brown Contemporary, Dallas
Todd Gray Horse, 2003 archival pigment print 34 x 28 inches Courtesy of the artist
Jonathan Calm Isaacs Runoff #1, 2008 pigment print 50 x 40 inches Courtesy of the artist and Caren Golden Fine Art, NY
Jonathan Calm Baruch Runoff #2, 2008 pigment print 40 x 50 inches Courtesy of the artist and Caren Golden Fine Art, NY
Hank Willis Thomas It's About Time, 2006 light-jet print mounted on foamboard 84 x 30 x 24 inches Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Robert A. Pruitt For Whom the Bell Curves, 2004 12 gold chains 47 x 60 inches Courtesy of Collection Studio Museum in Harlem
Rodney McMillian Chair, 2003 found overstuffed chair 33 x 38 x 33 inches Courtesy of Collection Gaby and Wilhelm Schuermann
Rodney McMillian Untitled (in progress), 2003 oil on canvas 27 x 27 inches Courtesy of Collection Gaby and Wilhelm Schuermann
Paul D'Amato Tashma, 2007 archival inkjet print 39 x 47 inches Courtesy of the artist and Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago
Edgar Arceneaux Failed Attempt at Crystallization, 2002 glass, sugar, crystals, wood, mirror, book 55 ¾ x 18 x 20 inches Courtesy of Collection of Hammer Museum, Los Angeles
Virginia Nimarkoh Nubian Queen, 1999 13 drawings by portrait artists in Leicester Square, London 19 3/4 x 15 3/4 and smaller Courtesy of the artist
Hank Willis Thomas The Johnson Family (from the Unbranded series), 2006/1981 lambda photograph 42 3/4 x 44 3/4 inches Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Glenn Ligon Warm Broad Glow, 2005 neon installation 36 x 192 inches Courtesy of Sender Collection
Installation view in the Artspace.
Andres Serrano Woman with Infant, 1996 cibachrome, silicone, plexiglas 60 x 49 1/2 inches Courtesy of the artist and Paula Cooper Gallery, NY
Andres Serrano The Interpretation of Dreams (White Nigger), 2001 cibachrome, silicone, Plexiglas 60 x 49 1/2 inches Courtesy of the artist and Paula Cooper Gallery, NY
William Pope.L Skin Set Drawings, 2003 ink and graphite on paper 20 parts, 8 1/2 x 11 inches each Courtesy of the artist
David Levinthal Four untitled works from the Blackface series Polaroids 24 x 20 inches each Courtesy of the artist
William Pope.L One Substance, Eight Supports, One Situation, 2008 8 pine shelves with flour cones
The H&R Block Artspace is dedicated to presenting innovative, high-quality exhibitions of regional, national, and international art; creating unique opportunities for local and regional artists and sustaining a strong regional arts community; and fostering active awareness, support and participation in the visual arts and visual art education.
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The H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute was founded in 1999 as a university gallery program to benefit the academic and public communities of Kansas City.
The mission of the Artspace is to support the creation, presentation, and appreciation of important contemporary art and visual art education through exhibitions, publications, public art projects, educational programs, professional development opportunities, collection stewardship, and partnerships.
Jason Lazarus
