Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso who gave the medium its first kick would stare in awe if they visited Afriart gallery today as each of these young artists demonstrates a deep understanding of how to ‘cut and paste’ which form the core of the discipline
‘I want to do projects that uplift the communities I belong to by using positive imagery. I want to cherish Black and Brown beauty, celebrate our heritage in a way that fights a system that establishes one-way of life and tells what and how things and people must be.’
Afro-Mexican artist Irene Reece about The Family Album as a Source for Activism
The ten steps we’ve taken forward we now have taken back with the tragic events of 2020. Every incident we see is pushing our society further and further from the idea of a happy place. A place where the scales of wealth and the weight of society are more evenly distributed, suggesting a change has taken place.
Black art has always been around, like the Harlem Renaissance which came about in the 1920s. We have always existed within this creative space and will continue to do so.”
This is the 4th article in a series of articles on the friendship between ‘two’ African American artists, a “friendship beyond understanding”. In every article The Harlem Renaissance is the context of the story. This article is about the friendship between Wallace Thurman and the Niggerati.