Origin of Afro-Esotericism
2018 - Photography (Photography)
53.34 x 60.96 x 5.08 cm
Awol Erizku
Awol Erizku’s image Origin of Afro-Esotericism has compositional force and a rhythmic use of full-blast color. In the image are five faces each with varying modes of representation. One of them is “Aunt Jemima” (recently renamed Pearl Milling Company), a brand that appropriated a character from a late 19th century minstrel show. Just in front is a stack of hundred dollar bills. Still-life images are known for embedding secret symbolism or, as the title suggests, pointing to the esoteric qualities of mass-produced objects. These sit quietly and carefully in dialogue with the hand-made masks and sculptures.
A contemporary response to the historical motif of the still-life, Awol Erizku’s studio photography is brimming with color and symbolism. Mixing references across time and space, from an African mask and a syrup bottle to a wooden incense burner and a shrink-wrapped bust of Queen Nefertiti, the cross-cultural narrative parallels Eriku’s own story, connecting his origins in Africa (Ethiopia), to his life in the US (New York and Los Angeles). Complicating the ‘stillness’ of the still life, Erizku activates the image with life; a swirl of smoke from the incense, an extended arm holding a color-card, used in post-production color-matching. The means of production made visible.
Colors:
Related works sharing similar palette
© » BROOKLYN STREET ART
BSA Images Of The Week: 11.05.23 | Brooklyn Street Art BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Nobody was out Friday night when we went to see “Stop Making Sense” on the screen; the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn at 10 pm were rather lightly attended, possibly because everyone was recovering from a mid-week Halloween/Day of the Dead blast of drunkenness, revelry, laughter, and tears...
© » KADIST
Gao Mingyan
2008In City Golf (2008) the artist Gao Mingyan films himself playing 18 “holes” of golf throughout the mega-city of Shanghai...
© » LE MONDE
Le président de la Société des amis du Louvre sur la sellette Offrir Le Monde Article réservé aux abonnés A 78 ans, Louis-Antoine Prat a toujours l’œil et la moustache qui frisent à l’évocation de ses coups d’éclat, qu’il s’agisse des trophées qu’il fait entrer dans les collections du Louvre, de la Société des amis duquel il est le président depuis 2016, ou dans sa propre collection privée, l’une des plus belles en France, exposée actuellement au Musée des beaux-arts d’Orléans...
© » KADIST
Chemi Rosado-Seijo
2016Map of the Universe from El Cerro continues Chemi Rosado-Seijo’s long-term engagement with the community of El Cerro , a rural, working-class community living in the mountains of Naranjito, Puerto Rico...
© » BROOKLYN STREET ART
Tuco Wallach Pacifico / Kitsuné Project – Part 1 / Christmas | Brooklyn Street Art BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY We’re pleased to continue positively into the new year by sharing a heartwarming journey into the world of family made street art, where personal ties and creativity intertwine beautifully...
© » THEARTNEWSPER
Faculty at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts reach tentative contract agreement, averting strike Art market Museums & heritage Exhibitions Books Podcasts Columns Technology Adventures with Van Gogh Search Search Art schools news Faculty at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts reach tentative contract agreement, averting strike The potential deal between the union and administration came just hours before a vote to authorise a strike Anni Irish 7 February 2024 Share University of the Arts employees rally outside the institution Zoe Cohen, United Academics of Philadelphia Over the last three years, unionised faculty at the University of the Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia have been engaged in negotiations with school administrators for a first contract...
© » ARTREPORT
Betty Tompkins Presents 1,000 Different Ways to Describe a Woman – Art Report News ARTISTS Artist Highlights Artist Interviews Studio Visit VIDEOS ART+ Community Listicles No Result View All Result News ARTISTS Artist Highlights Artist Interviews Studio Visit VIDEOS ART+ Community Listicles No Result View All Result No Result View All Result Betty Tompkins Presents 1,000 Different Ways to Describe a Woman by Jenny Held Jan 26, 2016 in NEWS 0 Betty Tompkins Exhibit...
© » TWOCOATSOFPAINT
Afire: Christian Petzold’s combustible feast – Two Coats of Paint Afire (directed by Christian Petzold), 2023, Leon on the beach (Thomas Schubert) , courtesy of Janus Films Contributed by Jonathan Stevenson / Instability hovers on several fronts – environmental, political, economic – and German filmmaker Christian Petzold manifests his concern about it with remarkable astuteness...
