This month marks the 100th anniversary of America's first national observance of Black history (February was designated Black History Month 50 years later, in 1976). Art galleries and institutions worldwide have mounted exhibitions that underscore the distinct contributions of Black and African diasporic people while exploring elements of interiority and selfhood still too often treated as afterthoughts. These presentations commemorate the complexity and beauty of Black American and African diasporic history while offering visionary possibilities for shaping Black futures.
Wadsworth Jarrell: SOMETHIN' ELSE
On View through Febuary 26th at Jenkins Johnson Gallery | Tribeca
Wadsworth Jarrell's artworks are tenacious and exuberant, and, above all, offer an alternative visual backdrop for Afrodiasporic liberation struggles in the U.S. and across the globe. Known for his vivacious paintings and working across sculpture and printmaking, Jarrell is a cofounder of the artist collective AFRICOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists), founded in 1968 during the Black Liberation Movement. “Somethin’ Else,” the artist's first solo exhibition at Jenkins Johnson Gallery, dives into Jarrell's practice, which evolved from a more figurative style early in his career to one that later incorporated abstraction as he began to work in sculpture and engage with color and texture in increasingly complex ways.
Works such as Quarter to Five (1964) blend figuration and abstraction from a transitional period in Jarrell's practice, preceding the formation of AFRICOBRA. Meanwhile, works like Jazz at Massey Hall (1999) characterize Jarrell's more mature period and underscore the crucial role that jazz played in freedom movements throughout the 20th century. Across media, the artist employs rich, vibrant color palettes that make his works truly burst with life. The show features notable works produced as recently as 2018, including those shown in the monumental traveling exhibition “Soul of a Nation.” The exhibition coincides with a recently opened retrospective of Wadsworth and Jae Jarrell at the Albany Museum of Art.
