Showcasing a range of artworks in different media by ten largely self-taught contemporary African-American artists, Souls Grown Diaspora continues through March 7 at Apex Gallery in Tribeca. Featured above is Meditation, acrylic and mixed media on canvas, fashioned in 2019 by Bronx-born, self-taught multidisciplinary artist Raynes Birkbeck. Several more images from this thoroughly engaging exhibition, curated by Brooklyn-based artist and curator Sam Gordon, follow:
An installation of textiles, fabric fragments and custom bags sourced by the recently-deceased Sara Penn, who ran the former Tribeca-based Knobkerry, a treasure trove of African and Asian art and artifacts
Memphis-native multimedia artist Frederick Weston, Body Map 2, 2015, Mixed media on paper
Brooklyn-based Reverend Joyce McDonald, Beaded in Strength, 1998, Clay, paint, fake pearls and beads
New Orleans-based Dapper Bruce Lafitte, Do Not Go to the Superdome, 2017, Archival ink on acid free paper
The late South Carolina-native assemblage artist Curtis Cuffie, who made his mark on NYC streets in the 1990’s– Found object art, Rabbit toy and ceramic
The late Chicago-based artist and underground musician Wesley Willis, Chicago Shoreline, 1996, Pen and ink on board
Photos: 1-5 & 7 Lois Stavsky; 6 Fawn Phillips; thank you, City-as-School intern Basil Lyons and Fawn Phillips for contributing to this post
