African American Gothic (2002)
acrylic on canvas
21 x 17 inches
the two centerfigures, Bojangles and Aunt Jemima, caricatures but also symbols of African american culture replace the anglo-settler couple in american Gothic with this piece. African American Gothic speaks to how desensitized america is to the embedded racialized terror that becomes center to Black cultural representation.
acrylic on canvas
21 x 17 inches
the two centerfigures, Bojangles and Aunt Jemima, caricatures but also symbols of African american culture replace the anglo-settler couple in american Gothic with this piece. African American Gothic speaks to how desensitized america is to the embedded racialized terror that becomes center to Black cultural representation.
“peace by piece: fight by flight” kuwasi balagoon tribute (2011)
acrylic on canvas
21 x 17 inches
how does freedom feel? this piece is inspired by Kuwasi Balagoon, a queer Afrikan anarchist, and former member of the Black Liberation Army. the foreground of the work is a replication of a drawing by Balagoon that was printed in his obiturary. centering Balagoon (right bottom corner) as a freedom fighter, the work re-envisions how Balagoon imagined his life as free and always free while struggling and navigating concerte carceral spaces-. this piece was donated to Cooperation Jackson, a worker-owned cooperative in Jackson, Mississippi.
acrylic on canvas
21 x 17 inches
how does freedom feel? this piece is inspired by Kuwasi Balagoon, a queer Afrikan anarchist, and former member of the Black Liberation Army. the foreground of the work is a replication of a drawing by Balagoon that was printed in his obiturary. centering Balagoon (right bottom corner) as a freedom fighter, the work re-envisions how Balagoon imagined his life as free and always free while struggling and navigating concerte carceral spaces-. this piece was donated to Cooperation Jackson, a worker-owned cooperative in Jackson, Mississippi.
creation call decoded (2020)
acrylic & ink on canvas
69cm x 69cm
creation call decoded is a commissioned piece for the 2020 Call To Create Cohort. inspired by the act of awarding & achieving—instead of a certificate, original art was made specifically with the cohort in mind. 9 faces + jme, and more figures in the background offering support. bk decoded phrases key to this birthwork, and key to this year in particular.
a birth day present for all the parts that have been reborn. this cohort did their work for themselves, but also for us all; all praises due to their commitment to the quest—the middle, end & beginning.
currently housed in Boston Massachusetts in Mother Mercy’s persynal collection
acrylic & ink on canvas
69cm x 69cm
creation call decoded is a commissioned piece for the 2020 Call To Create Cohort. inspired by the act of awarding & achieving—instead of a certificate, original art was made specifically with the cohort in mind. 9 faces + jme, and more figures in the background offering support. bk decoded phrases key to this birthwork, and key to this year in particular.
a birth day present for all the parts that have been reborn. this cohort did their work for themselves, but also for us all; all praises due to their commitment to the quest—the middle, end & beginning.
currently housed in Boston Massachusetts in Mother Mercy’s persynal collection
cain’t feel my face melting against inducing (2019)
acrylic on canvas
21 x 17 inches
free/unfree. here/there. the banality of liberation work. this painting was planned and constructed over a course of six months while working as an organizer at Cooperation Jackson. the piece became a place of refugee to reflect over roadblocks of day to day monotonous activities and grueling groundwork necessary for foundation building in freedom work.
acrylic on canvas
21 x 17 inches
free/unfree. here/there. the banality of liberation work. this painting was planned and constructed over a course of six months while working as an organizer at Cooperation Jackson. the piece became a place of refugee to reflect over roadblocks of day to day monotonous activities and grueling groundwork necessary for foundation building in freedom work.
BLK affect: “shadow gratitude”
montez press radio was founded in 2018 with the goal of fostering greater experimentation and conversation between artists, writers, and thinkers through the medium of radio. the platform is an experiment in broadcasting and community building which allows different corners of the art world to interact with each other in person and on air—a place where media finally meets flesh.“
—
BLK affect sonically encapsulates afterlives of feeling and emotion from the lens of a descendant of enslaved africans colonized in the so-called united states. the music connects to this h(is)tory and provokes a cacophony of sounds, some translatable, others still yet to be decoded. the purpose of this radio show is to conduct and share in an experience of Black excellence and experimentation with analogue means (records and cassettes), and sound/field recordings for texture and context to emotions experienced while listening. the first mix in this series of mixes is called “shadow gratitude. affect”, a call to embracing our shadow-self. with intention and attention to grief and crisis in our dark (shadow) selves, this mix intends to lean into those feelings with gratitude transmuted through a pulse of joy and despair.
genres: experimental, free jazz, hip-hop, psychedelic, punk, noise, modal, no wave, black, rock and roll, blues
montez press radio was founded in 2018 with the goal of fostering greater experimentation and conversation between artists, writers, and thinkers through the medium of radio. the platform is an experiment in broadcasting and community building which allows different corners of the art world to interact with each other in person and on air—a place where media finally meets flesh.“
—
BLK affect sonically encapsulates afterlives of feeling and emotion from the lens of a descendant of enslaved africans colonized in the so-called united states. the music connects to this h(is)tory and provokes a cacophony of sounds, some translatable, others still yet to be decoded. the purpose of this radio show is to conduct and share in an experience of Black excellence and experimentation with analogue means (records and cassettes), and sound/field recordings for texture and context to emotions experienced while listening. the first mix in this series of mixes is called “shadow gratitude. affect”, a call to embracing our shadow-self. with intention and attention to grief and crisis in our dark (shadow) selves, this mix intends to lean into those feelings with gratitude transmuted through a pulse of joy and despair.
genres: experimental, free jazz, hip-hop, psychedelic, punk, noise, modal, no wave, black, rock and roll, blues
