contemporary art

Neville Barbour: Blessings in Gray

A review by Elsabé Dixon

Neville Barbour states:

Blessings in Gray “is a visual exploration of the narratives that define us. It explores what it is to be human and remarks on the ambivalence of that perspective. Neville explores how conflict can take us out of our comfort zone, yet become a force for change.”

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT STORY IMAGES

Every Image tells a story, but the good stories sometime need more time and attention to unfold fully. On a winter Friday afternoon in February of 2023, I spoke to Neville Barbour about the nine realistic figure drawings in his solo show at the Hillyer Gallery in Washington, DC. Each drawing seemed to hold complex symbols one could recognize, but the arrangements seemed to have a structure that made what you were looking at almost “abstract”.

A figure with angel wings, standing against the backdrop of a large detailed moon is simply called Monday, and Barbour explains that he has just become a father, and that having a child makes Monday more palatable. I did a double take… how does that statement connect to a mystical angel winged figure standing as if on a stage in front of a large projection of the moon with its pitted and cratered surface? The detail was exquisite, but what is the meaning exactly? A mixture of satellite imagery, with what looks like a historic priestess figure from an old opera photograph and the Art Nuevo wings from a stained glass window were the only references I had in front of me. Like a random but complex dream sequence/Dada image, perhaps what Barbour is saying is that one should not look at his images as you look at a Dutch still-life with defined and absolute symbols, but instead take an emotional stance. How does the title, Monday, and this winged figure against the backdrop of the moon resonate with YOU, the viewer? 

I was curious – where would this conversation to clarify meaning lead? The second image we both looked at was Trap Wednesday.  A masked African American male figure sits on a white throne with a black crow on his shoulder and horns, sticking out from under a long white beard. His fingers and neck is adorned with gold and the word “love” is formed on the right hand, and the word “hate” is formed by the rings on the left hand. A spear with an engraved face, leans up against the left leg of the throne. Next to the figure sits a large, hairy dog.  Again, Barbour was very forthcoming about being an African American male artist in DC, and that in being so there is always the question around the philosophical statement of “doing the right thing.”  He said he based this seated character loosely on Spike Lee. Behind the seated figure is what looks like an Aztec or Mesopotamian Symbol in gold.

St George the Dragon depicts an equestrian figure riding not a horse, but an African steer. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, George’s slaying of the dragon may be a Christian version of the legend of Perseus, who was said to have rescued Andromeda from a sea monster. It is a theme much represented in art, the saint frequently being depicted as a youth wearing knight’s armor with a scarlet cross. While Barbour depicts the rider’s lower half as a replica of the medieval armor of St. George, the top half reveals a bear chested rider with patterned dots often associated with tribal coming-of-age rites. This mixture of West African mythology and an equestrian war figure, or Saint-to-stave-off-evil, can become a nuisance during times of peace, stated Barbour.  And I was reminded again not to tag the symbols as real meaning, but to glide on them as clouds float across a horizon.

You Remind Me depicts a beautiful, professionally dressed, African American seated female figure, with a fox fur around her neck. She is placed in front of a traditional enlarged checkered pattern. This, Barbour claims, is a dialogue between generations. Old photographs, Barbour says, often make one recall those who live in the present.  Perhaps the most compelling drawing in this series is a drawing of six children. Five small black boys stand in the background, while a young girl with a patterned dress curls up with two muzzled hyenas looking straight at the viewer.  The title, Lord of the “Flys” conjures up the title of William Golding’s novel. Barbour discloses that he grew up surrounded by strong female figures. “Hyenas are a matriarchal symbol and moves away from the concept of the patriarchal lion. This animal changes the viewpoint. Expands one’s perspective,” he says. 

Fisherman of Souls, depicts an old man in a triangle looking straight at the viewer, with a landscape in the background and two abstract white circles floating in the foreground toward the left and the right of the old man. Two heads (represented by the circles) – New Baby (Personal experience) – Old Man (Perhaps, a way of looking back at the Old Year and looking toward the New Year, 2023). Idia, shows a young girl with eyes diverted. Barbour says he has become fascinated by the role Africa played in participating in the slave trade. “We live in a society where not everyone can win, where there is no good choice,” says Barbour.  Salt, is named for the thing that allows us to “taste”. Far from the “Morton’s Salt Girl” in a raincoat under an umbrella, this drawing depicts a sultry and confident young lady in cascading silks, shading herself from the African sun. The next drawing, Janus, depicts the Roman God as an African American man in medieval armor. Janus is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. 

Every drawing in this exhibition holds known symbols, but they become plastic and ephemeral. They are not static, but instead become less concrete and more malleable. In many ways, these drawings turn on its head the way we look at figurative work. It takes the images that we see, and the meaning we tie to it, and push it into the background. These figurative images – that reiterate symbols, pushing at the outer limitations of symbols and all the multiple meanings they can hold –  translate into widening perspectives and larger cultural doorways. 

Neville Barbour
Archetypes
March 4-April 2, 2023
IA&A at Hillyer

To learn more about the artist visit nevillebarbour.com

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Q and A with Yasmine Dabbous

Questions by Tim Brown, Hillyer Director

Timothy Brown (TB):

You have stated that you live for passion and practicality. How do they inform your artistic practice?

Yasmine Dabbous (YD):

In art, like in life, I think it is important to care, to feel passionate about people and causes, and to express this passion vocally. But it is also important to be down-to-earth and practical, and to know where, when and how it is appropriate to do so. What works well in one context may fail in another. I am passionate but I also try to be mindful at the same time. 

(TB):

Based on your educational experience, you have an avid interest in multidisciplinary approaches to solving problems and creating art. Which disciplines would you say have the most influence on your work?

(YD):

I am certainly influenced by my career as a journalist, since everything I do includes a storytelling component. Stories are very important for me as an artist. They are the connection between my subject, myself and my audience. I am also influenced by my work in academia, and more specifically cultural history and cultural studies. That possibly explains why my artwork is largely conceptual and is meant to make me and others think and deconstruct realities -never take anything for granted. I always like to create a relationship between me and between the recipients of my work -some kind of intellectual space where we ponder together about our values and our experiences. 

(TB):

Your current exhibition examines the topic of refugees. Why do you feel this is an important subject to address as a contemporary artist?

(YD):

I come from a region ridden with conflicts and war. I was even born into the Lebanese Civil War. I wondered then, as a child, why would adults engage in such violence. I have not been able to answer this question to this day. And I feel that the issue of refugees, who are among the chief victims of these wars, is a direct way to address this question, to encourage people to challenge war and violence. 

(TB):

You use the term “object connections“ to describe your work. How important is this to the refugee experience?

(YD):

These object connections are primordial for refugees. We are talking of course about daily objects that often hang around our houses and do not mean much. But when we leave and take nothing else, these objects become our only connection to our past, our ancestors, our home. Moreover, refugees are going to a land that’s not theirs, and to a life they know nothing about. So these objects become the base for a new home. 

(TB):

As an artist whose interests cross multiple disciplines, what are some future directions you plan to explore in your work?

(YD):

I have a number of questions that remain unanswered in my mind and i would like to address them through more fiber art shows. I want to provoke thoughts but also find answers and feel at peace -both through conceptualization and application.

You can learn more about Yasmine Dabbous by visiting our Video Spotlights page and/or our YouTube Channel.

Connect with Yasmine Dabbous
Website
Instagram

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Q&A with Artist John Paradiso

Questions by Tim Brown, Hillyer Director 

Tim Brown (TB):

In the special exhibition Pulse 2023, you feature several works that appear to be consistent with topics you have explored in the past that address identity and male sexuality. The superimposed patterns over some of the works however suggest a more complex and nuanced interpretation. What more can you tell us about them?

John Paradiso (JP):

When talking about sexuality in my work, I use methods and/or materials that are both traditionally thought of as feminine  and masculine. The work in this show focuses on leather culture and I am attracted to the hyper masculine qualities of Gay Leather men. In Leather Boy, I hand stitch the figure on repurposed leather, my friend Ryan’s old leather pants.  The collages have crocheted and vintage paper doilies over images of men in leather gear. I feel these ad a feminine touch, and I just like the layering of delicate floral paper or crocheted doilies over a hyper masculine man. My hope is that the masculine qualities of the pieces become more fluid.

(TB):

When did you join Hillyer’s advisory committee and what has been your primary role since that time? Specifically, has your role been to select artists for Hillyer’s annual exhibitions or have you done other things, such as organize and or curate exhibitions?

(JP):

I can’t remember when I was asked to join the Advisory group, but I would say I’ve been on it for about 10 years. My primary role has been to help sort through the submissions and find the artists that will have exhibitions the following year. I have also been assigned artists to help mentor in ways they may need. I have helped several of the artists that I have worked with install their shows as well as studio visits.

(TB):

What would you say is your most memorable experience as an artist advisory committee member?

(JP):

I will answer a different question. What I most like about participating on the advisory committee is getting a stack of 125 to 200 submissions each year and seeing all the art that’s being created. I usually know some of the submitting artists and I love being introduced to new art. I always find it interesting reading how artists represent and promote their own work. 

(TB):

Since Hillyer was founded in 2006, the gallery has provided exhibition opportunities for new and emerging artists. Why do you feel this is important for aspiring artists? Can you recall when you had your first solo exhibition? How did this opportunity impact your career?

(JP):

I think its important to get one’s art out into the world. Hillyer is a good resource and a great space.

My first solo show was in 1984 in a small neighborhood gay bar in my hometown. I pursued the opportunity, hung the show, and promoted it. As I have never had gallery representation, I continue to seek out opportunities to show my work. I spend 25% of my studio time doing promotional and administrative work. 

(TB):

What advice would you give to aspiring contemporary artists living and working in society today? 

(JP):

Define for yourself what success looks like. Work hard in your studio. Go look at art. Help other artists when you can. Show up for your art when you get into an exhibition. Help promote it, invite your friends, and visit the gallery often during the run of the show.

(TB):

If visitors to the gallery would like to learn more about your work, how should they go about doing that?

(JP):

They can visit my website at john-paradiso.com or my studio by appointment. My studio is located at Portico Gallery and Studios in Brentwood MD just over the DC line on Rhode Island Ave. 

www.john-paradiso.com

www.portico3807.com

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Newly Selected Artists, July 2022

Gabrielle Lajoie-Bergeron

Mascha-Le Gros Party

 

Mascha – Le gros Party questions the notion of celebration in the intimate, public, and political space. Highlighting evocative traces of a past event, this vivid new corpus allows us to imagine a universe in itself. Inspired by the figure of the “mascha” — the etymological root of the word “mask,” also meaning witch in Low Latin — the exhibition marshals a vast diversity of works, including a number of faux-visages (false faces) made of various materials. “Le gros party” is a French expression meaning, in common parlance, “the big party.” Inspired by festivities and their rituals, the project questions notions of overflow and excess, and the flashpoint at which fiction and reality overlap. It is about identity, power, and relationships. If the party makes it possible to become someone else — to live a rite of passage — what happens when the event overflows beyond the dancing, the singing, the feast, and the simple drinking? The big party invoked by Lajoie-Bergeron refers to the capricious masquerade that we offer in our time, when the celebration begins to lose its glamor and to lurch into incipient violence and other abuses.

Kate Fitzpatrick

There is no anagram for the word anagram 

An anagram is a word formed by rearranging the letters of a different word, using all the letters. Any word that exactly uses those letters in another order is called an anagram. Whether as a literary game, cipher, mysterious verse, or poetry, anagrams provide a channel for making new meaning out of fixed ideas. Anagrams are anchored to their assigned positions and are limited due to their language rules, which are based on a collectively agreed-upon system.

There is no anagram for the word anagram playfully explores the idea of language and meaning by using an imaginary sign system to take the form of text, images, and objects, to break down the construction of our own arbitrary reality. The graphic potential of a sign invites the viewer to consider the possibilities that exist in arrangements that fill in the gap between image and text to explore meaning. In this exhibition, paintings, games, video, and objects offer a dynamic by which to wonder and to create personal meaning through indecipherable signs, which become a vessel for schema and a pathway to search and interpret.

Kristin Adair

Unconditional

Unconditional is a multimedia exploration of the legacy of love that we carry within us as human beings. We are the accumulation of the relationships that came before us, that brought us into the world. Through the pandemic, I have investigated my love map through the lens of a box of letters my grandfather wrote to my grandmother while he was stationed in the South Pacific for three years during World War II. I weave a tapestry of images in both paper and video form, including archival images that my grandfather made during his deployment and other found materials, with visual explorations of my own body, examining the experience during the two years of the pandemic of isolation and my own search for connection and true love. The series Unconditional uses both physical and digital manipulation to combine old and new photographs with archival and new audio, weaving stories of the past — those that live inside of me, the present, and the future of my own latent lineage.

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