Find me in a Gallery.
Kerry James Marshall : The Histories
One of my besties, who lives in New York and is a proper art babe, hit me up to say Kerry Marshall was having a solo show in London. Missing it was simply not an option!!
I’d already come across his work on Instagram, with other artists constantly naming him as an influence. From the little I’d seen, I knew instantly I’d connect with it.
(Howeverrrr… First rookie mistake! Something any regular art-goer knows all too well.. was going on a Saturday afternoon. An exhibition like this turns into a full-on carnival of fellow art lovers, clutching leaflets like fans and holding jackets in hand, trying to survive the heat😅).
I was in awe of the ambience and energy of the room, completely fixated on the beautiful, mesmerising paintings on the deep red walls. Marshall truly mastered the art of emulating and emphasising the power of Blackness. It felt like reliving my childhood or maybe the shared childhood memory of every Black child. I recognised the faces staring back at me. This was my auntie, my uncle, my dad, my mum, my hairdresser, my art teacher. It felt like walking backward through time, retracing the moments that shaped me into the woman I am today.
This wasn’t a show to be rushed!
I took my sweet time. It allowed me to question myself, understand deeper and fully appreciate what was placed in front of me. Marshall wanted us to grasp the true meaning of what it is to be Black.. Every painting carried its own Beginning, Middle, and End. He gave the work the power to dictate how our narratives are seen, felt, and valued. In 10, 15, even 20 years, the story of his work will still stand, untouched by time.
To be sure, the mode of black figure representation I employ is a clear departure from most popular treatments of the black body. I am trying to establish a phenomenal presence that is unequivocally black and beautiful. It is my conviction that the most instrumental, insurgent painting for this moment must be of figures, and those figures must be black, unapologetically so?? - Kerry James Marshall
Have you ever looked at a painting and felt like it was staring straight into your soul? His eyes felt familiar, like we’d known each other in a past lifetime.
Oh how I fell in love with this painting! All the emotions came running back to me..
This was such a Black girl moment. The aunties in the hair shop, babies running around in the background. Front-cover Black girl magazines stacked with a thousand braid styles and somehow you still choose the one that takes five hours, which means three aunties tugging at your head at once. Then there’s the aunty newly introduced to social media, filming content to invite Gen Z back into the shop because let’s be honest, no one does a full head of braids, better than her!
*(I wander how the man on the right of the first picture feels? 🤔😂)
I’ve been to a handful of exhibitions over the past few years, and this was hands down the most relatable and heartfelt experience I’ve had. It’s the kind of show you need to sit with maybe even return to, to fully grasp the depth of Marshall’s work.
I’m genuinely grateful I got to experience it in my lifetime…
Episode 4, coming to you Inbox soon!
Lots of Love,
HouseofGoldLondon 🌍🥂