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Arena for Contemporary African, African-American and Caribbean Art

US IS THEM: Jeff Sonhouse

jeff-sonhouseGravityLawlessness2010

 

Jeff Sonhouse is one of the artists in ‘US IS THEM’, until April 2, 2016 in Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, Ohio

 Gravity Lawlessness, 2010.

 

 

 

 

About Jeff Sonhouse

Over the past ten years, New York-based artist Jeff Sonhouse (b. 1968) has created a powerful body of portrait paintings depicting often-masked black male figures that consistently defy and obscure classification. Adept at mixing pattern, color, and material, Sonhouse’s paintings feature a variety of unusual materials such as matchsticks, steel wool and cowry shells, and include references to art historical figures from Ed Paschke to Pablo Picasso.

Papi Shampoo, 2010 Mixed media and oil on fiberboard 48 x 40 inches

Papi Shampoo, 2010.

About the exhibition:

US IS THEM IS A POWERFUL EXHIBITION OF 75 PAINTINGS, SCULPTURE, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND VIDEO BY A GROUP OF 42 INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS WHOSE WORK CONFRONTS ISSUES OF POLITICS, RELIGION, AND RACISM.

jeff-sonhouseBoundByNature2012

Bound by Nature, 2012.

The exhibition is organized to reflect timely and potent issues of social justice and current affairs across the world. There exists a long history of artists as social critics from Goya to Manet. Artists are in the unique position to create things of beauty that inspire reflection, elevate our consciousness and fuel a sense of responsibility. The artists in US IS THEM continue that tradition by creating enlightening and thoughtful works that challenge and rearrange stale notions of identity and obsolete notions of difference.

JeffSonhouseInstallationView2014

Installation View, 2014.

As the title suggests this exhibition focuses on what connects rather than separates us. We live in a global society. What happens abroad impacts us at home. What happens at home reverberates across the world. While we experience dramatic social, cultural, economic, and environmental changes, people across continents share in a continuing fight for social justice, solidarity, and tolerance. This exhibition presents works that respond to and raise awareness about our common human condition.
Artists include: Derrick Adams, El Anatsui, Nick Cave, Noah Davis, Roberto Diago, Omar Victor Diop, Edouard Duval-Carrie, David Hammons, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Lyle Ashton Harris, Jonathan Hammer, Mona Hatoum, Zhang Huan, Wang Jin, Hayv Kahraman, Titus Kaphar, Miler Lagos, Patrick Lee, Simone Leigh, Tianbing Li, Mustafa Maluka, Wangechi Mutu, Adi Nes, Shirin Neshat, Aminah Robinson, Yinka Shonibare, Jeff Sonhouse, John Sonsini, Marthine Pascale Tayou, Mickalene Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Francis Upritchard, Diane Wah, Kara Walker, Nari Ward, Carrie Mae Weems, Judi Werthein, Kehinde Wiley, Fred Wilson, Joan Wobst, Hongbo Xu, and Chang Xugong.