Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Black Artist

So! I finished this up at work the other day and I had been to lazy to type it up. I finally forced myself to do it. After reading through, I decided to present it in its raw form. I am an artist, I can do that :). So without further ado:

The more work I look at and the more work I see that is considered "Black Art," I am drawn into the underlying meaning or underlying theme I should say of "Good" VS. "Evil." No matter how much of a disconnect I try to between my work and trying to fight the labeling of my self as a "Black Artist"...the closer I get to closing the gap, there is always this automatic push and pull going on. 
As far as "good" and "evil," I think the disconnect struggles because I desire to be the "evil" Black Artist. Alot of people thag I know who are not of the so-called art world look for that "good" Black Art; that Black Art that is in someways highly "romanticized" Black Art. I recall showing people my work and having them tell me my work looked good but why did I have to show black people like that. They acted as if I created the lynched black man or the raped black woman. I even had a friend say to me why can't I create pretty pictures. I kind of relish in the fact that my work seems somewhat "evil" in the eyes of others. Devil's advocate is a role that I just love to play. 
In art school and the art world, its easier to play the "evil" artist because you are critiqued on the overall aesthetic quality of your work. Not just the imagery is questioned. We are put the rigors of defending our work and the choices we have made regarding the subject matter. In the "outside world," we are handled differently. The viewer more often than not, judges the work purely on its visual aesthetic. "Oh this artist has rich colors," "oh look at that Black Jesus," or "he/she really captured the essence of a strong black family." I am perfectly ok with being the bad guy. 
Showing where we came from to me is a great way to pay homage to our race. These haven't always been happy times. I feel as a "Black" artist it is our duty to continue to keep and maintain a historical record of the Black Diaspora. I mean I dont set out to create "evil" Black Art, its just I always hope to create a dialog with the viewer that will have them questioning certain things or having the viewer confront this "evil" events and remember. I mean a lot of good came out of these bad times black people had. Its great that as artists we can show the achievements and good fortune of black america but I also think uts good that we never forget the bad as well. I recall one of our "black oppurtunists," (thats a topic I dealt with in one of my first ever posts) said that "...Jim Crow didn't die, he just became James Crow, ESQ." To me that statement holds so true even now in the days of the Obama Administration. 
The funny thing about that whole diatribe is that I have always struggled with an artist identity. I don't want it to be "OK" for me to use the word "NIGGER" or to show black people being lynched because I am a "Black" artist. I want the viewer to be shocked that in this day and age to see some one "ballsy" enough to tackle the subject matter. I have tried to tackle less sensitive work, i.e. Copper Goddess and Abstract drip paintings, but every time I start projects like these it seems exciting at first; then it quickly becomes boring to me. I feel as though I am not creating for myself but creating for acceptance into the "good" Black Artist society. And while I want the viewer to be intrigued and drawn to my work, I still have to be sure that I am really leaving my imprint on my work. I can't create "safe" work. I think thats one of the faults in myself and my work thats holding me back. Trying to play it "safe." 
Going forward in the future, I am going to try my best to unleash HELL in my "evil" Black Art. Lol. 

-Namaste. 

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Bleh

Hey you guys...I don't feel too well right now, so I will post my blog I was going to post for you guys some time early next week hopefully. See you soon.


-Namaste

Saturday, July 17, 2010

ArtStar log 32579843...

I read alot and I try to watch as many informative shows and documentaries as possible. As I am going through all of the information, I am also dealing with alot of self-discovery as an artist. I wonder what my legacy as an artist. I sometimes wonder how resolved some of my post-undergrad work is. Have I really solved any problems? Has the work really spoken to me? What can I do differently? What do I need to work on? What am I missing?
On some level I never really care what you, the viewer thinks. On other levels, I wonder if you get what I am trying to convey or if you think that I am trying to bullshit you. When I get right down to it the work has to come from that special place in my head. I need to focus on building a closer relationship to my work and my conscience. Your "gaze" will be predicated by your own relationship with my work. A relationship, where try as I might I can not interfere with. Either you love it or you don't.
Back in school, probably somewhere in the beginning of my junior year, I begin to delve into work that simulated your senses. Work that begged you to question the mindset of the artist. I also was making work that I felt I need to for my own identity and self-awareness as a "black" artist. The imagery and tone of the work was created in such away that you had to approach it in such a manner that you looked at the way you viewed certain things. I can recall after graduating show some people my work and having them respond either negatively or in a way that assured me that just discussing this was difficult for them. One it was difficult because they thought I was too young to be talking about the subject matter and two because the didn't know how to approach the subject matter.
Somewhere along the line the past few years, i have abandoned my aforementioned art practice. There is that part of me that don't want to come off propagandish and a part of me who doesn't want to come off as some one who has done his research. I feel as though this is not a big burden I am putting on myself but a way to make sure I convey the message I want to convey. As I said "your gaze," will determine how you see the work and what you get out of the work.
All I can do for my part is make sure that it is enjoyable to you the viewer.

-Namaste


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Friendly confines of my world.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Hey People.

Hey faithful few...Just thought I would drop by and shoot you guys a little post. I got a few things in the works and I will be bringing them to you guys in the coming weeks. Next week I might post a little earlier, so be on the look out for that. That's all I have for you guys this week. I know its like a hit-and-run but I promise I will make it up to you guys;)

Until sometime next week, namaste and stay strong...

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Repost from my Vegetrarian Blog...

Hello faithful few, this weekend I figured I would repost my blog entry from my vegetarian blog. You can find can find my other blog at ohoshi.wordpress.com. Without further ado-

So…it’s been quite awhile since I wrote here. A little over 3 months! Seems like an eternity huh, lol. Well fret not, hopefully I will get back to writing these posts more often.
I have been keeping up with my Monday/Thursday vegetarian days quite faithfully. On some occasions I have even added day(s) in. On those days I found myself, when it came time to eat, deciding against including meat as an option to my meal. I mean Monday/Thursday is so far instilled in my consciousness that those days I just go with the flow.
We have reached the month of July. We have crossed over into the realm of the latter half of the year. On Wednesday I decided that when the first rolled around, I would try a two week trial. For two weeks straight I will eat as if I am already a full vegetarian. At the end of my two weeks it will bring me into what is now a vegetarian Thursday. Which would mean that the next time I eat meat would be on a Friday.
I am not going to look at this trial period as a countdown to when I will eat meat again but as a way to gauge how I will feel after not eating meat for that period of time.
Is it a bit extreme? I think not. I mean I have been easing my way into the transition thus far. Why not give diving in a try! I really want to work on getting healthier the closer I get to 40 (I am 35 1/2; I bet my girl is going to get a kick out of that!!!). I have witnessed firsthand the results of not living a healthy lifestyle. I mean, I have for so long said this is the year. This is the year I start living healthier. Every New Years roll around and I made that same resolution to say “this is the year that I get healthy.” It just never seemed to come to pass. This past year, my oldest sister died and she was only 37! I promised myself that this year I would stop talking about it and decided that I would be about it. I full intend to follow through. I believe my future is bright. I have a wonderful girlfriend, my family has gotten closer and I have some great friends. I will push myself to stay the course and I will have faith.
I have talked you guys ears off enough already, so now I will take my leave.
Enjoy life because you only get one…


Until sometime next week, namaste and stay strong...