Taking Back What Was Taken Away

I have been very interested in the moving power of images. Im not very fond of conceptual conversations of material usage and phylisophical reasonings for not using a material versus another. Basically I like artwork that has a "reciept" of the hard work put into its creation. I know that art is an extention of the spirit of the artist, and the only conceptual reasoning rests within that spirit. When I say spirit, I literally mean the etheral pressence that lives within a person. I know this might be a stretch for some, but im really tired of this destructive attitude in art. In most of the critiques I have participated in, there is always this attitude of destruction. The word deconstruction is thrown around alot and its very disheartning that in many artists' attempts to explain their work, they are stopped in their tracks by the words of shallow critics.

There IS a spirit to all things; it starts within the artist, and ends up in their artwork. I know that many artist are speaking about issues deeper then many critics will admit. Two artists that I believe speak truthfully about tough issues are Kehinde Wiley and Kara Walker. They are speaking about the power stolen from Black Americans throught out their history in America, and these artist are taking back that power through the issues represented within their art. They are speaking on the residues of slavery on the modern day Black American, and the many ways Black Americans have embraced the spirit of their past, to energize the spirit of their future. In essence, these artist are the extention of a screaming voice in a world of deaf intellectuals; intellectulas who are rich with words but poor when it comes to spiritual things. Much of there work has been called confrontational, but i do belive that is the point. The 800 pound gorrilla in the room has never been confronted, and these two artist have met it head on, telling it to go, and leave all that it has taken on its way out.