““Across our diaspora, the necessity of flight has been part of our survival mechanism. Sometimes if gravity says it’s going be a certain way, you say, ‘Nope.’ And you supplant it in a way that has gravity saying, ‘How the hell did you do that?”
—Andre Zachery, choreographer and scholar—
Wo-Mende Series (excerpts 18 of 24), 2023 graphite on paper and serigraph on plexiglass ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Wo-Mende Series (collage image) ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
A Sorcery of Sustenance museum installation, 2024. Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA. photograph by Russell Kilgore
photograph by Russell Kilgore
Tapping the Root, 2024. Carved wood and stoneware. 12” x 132” ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Tapping the Root (detail)
The Conjurer, 2024. The Oracle, 2024. Hush Harbor for Baby Suggs, 2024. Tapping the Root, 2024. ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
The Rhythm and the Harvest. 2024 Steel, wood, paint, tar, fabric dye, nylon, peat moss, Spanish moss, cotton, coffee, tobacco, rice. (39.5” w at the base x 18” at the apex x 9’ h) ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
The Rhythm and the Harvest (detail image) ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
A Wishbone for Nina Simone, 2024. carved wood, powdered charcoal and serigraph on wood panel.
Okra Fly, 2024. Wood, porcelain, steel. 72" x 12" x 16" ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Photograph by Russell Kilgore
Hush Harbor for Baby Suggs: We Run to the Rock; 2024. Wood, plexiglass, rock and trumpet. 24" x 27" x 28" ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
The Conjurer, 2024. The Oracle, 2024. wood, steel, red clay, stoneware, acrylic paint. ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
You Can't Cage My Strut, 2024. Stuffed chicken, paper, photo transfer on paper, paint. Description: created in response to the carceral system that disproportionately ensnares Black men, this work references the qualities of survival associated with the chicken in African culture as a way to inspire resiliency. In this context, to strut is not merely a performative act of heightened self-regard, it is a cultivated state of being–a sign of the implacable nature of the human spirit. ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Rhythm Section_2022_carved wood, paint, powdered graphite on wood, gold dust, steel and motors. 72”H x 84”W x 13”D The pounding of millet is an ancient practice among many African cultures. Almost exclusively carried out by women, the repetitive movement plays an essential role in the survival of the community as an indispensable component of food production. ***click image to watch video***
The Rhythm Section (detail) ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
La Diosa Del sol (The Sun Goddess), 2024. stoneware and graphite on paper. 36" x 36" x 7" ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
photograph by Russell Kilgore
photograph by Russell Kilgore
The Black Eyed Nkisi Nkondi. 2024 carved wood, automotive coil, steel, nails, red clay, black eye peas (20” w x 34” l x 6.5” depth) An Nkisi Nkondi is a West African spiritual object used to protect against evil spirits. Black eye peas are a food source imported to the Americas from Africa. This object references the intersectionality of the material and the spiritual--the corporeal and the incorporeal. ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
photograph by Russell Kilgore
The Black Eyed Nkisi Nkondi (detail) ***image by Russell Kilgore)***
Black Ivory; 2023. Carved wood, powdered graphite and charcoal, wax and paint. ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
photograph by Russell Kilgore
Robert Turner Memorial_cast bronze and stone_Cypress Lawn Cemetery_San Francisco, Calif._2021 ***for additional information, click on image***
RTM
RTM
Elder_2020_Atlanta, GA_commissioned by the Freedom Park Conservancy***to watch video click on image***
Elder (detail collage image)
Dream Catcher for Langston Hughes_108 X 22 X 31 inches_bent and carved wood, steel, vintage tricycle, Sunmaid raisin container, prop dynamite, wire and blast box, red clay and stuffed fledgling blackbird_year completed: 2022 photograph by Russell Kilgore
Child of the Radiant Night. paint and tar on wood, graphite and paint on paper. (23.5" X 75" x 8") 2023. Collection of Gouya and Payam Zamani ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Grounded_2016_carved wood, tar, cotton sack, raw cotton,serigraph on cloth. 28"W x 94"L x 14"H ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
photograph by Russell Kilgore
Harvest_2019_stereoscopes, vintage photograph and digitally altered photograph ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Harvest (detail image) ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
The Ballot & the Bullet_2018_wood, paint, resin and steel ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Twice as Good_2018_serigraph on paper ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Redbone 2020 serigraph on paper, bone and paint ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Bitch. Bitch?_2019_serigraph on paper ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Onion 2018 serigraph on paper ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Whip; 2019. Serigraph on paper and bullwhip. Private collection ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
H.N.I.C. (head nigga in charge)_2018_serigraph on paper ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
H.N.I.C._2018_serigraph on paper ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Haulin' Ass_2018_wagon, paint, book, donkey figurine, serigraph on paper ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Constellation_2016_resin, wood, paint and wax, red clay, hair, cotton, copper, cloth, rabbit skinned glue. Collection of the Goat Farm Arts Center
Constellation (collage image). ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Freedom's Price_2016_steel, resin, slinshots, wood,serigraph on paper, faucet, spigot, segregation sign, stones ***photograph courtesy of MOCA GA***
Freedom's Price (detail) ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Freedom's Price (excerpt)_serigraph on paper
Pipeline; 2018 (resin, paint, handcuffs, dictionary, colored pencil on paper and school desk) ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Pipeline_2018 (resin, paint, handcuffs, dictionary, colored pencil on paper and school desk) ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Pipeline (detail)_2018
Soup Coolers_2019_serigraph on paper, soup can 24" W x 72" L ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Soup Coolers ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Soup Coolers (detail)
Punched_2020. Serigraph on wood panel, tar, speed bag and wood ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Baggage_2013_vintage horn and suitcase, serigraph on fabric
Tight Packers_2016_sardine cans, graphite on wood, vintage photograph
Tight Packers (detail)
Tight Packer (excerpt 1 of 100) 2018_graphite on wood panel and sardine can. Private collection ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Tight Packer_2016 graphite on wood panel and sardine can ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Untitled, 2016. cast bronze and hair. 14" x 5" x 22" Private collection
Elegy for Robert Hayden graphite on paper, paint on wood panel, shoes ***photograph by Russell Kilgore***
Elegy for Robert Hayden
Untitled_2009_steel, wood, cloth, serigraph on fabric, dye, cotton, tobacco, coffee grounds. Collection of Savannah College of Art and Design
A Yearning_ 2016_ steel, resin, wood, rope, pillow, paint and charcoal
Requiem for One of Many_ 2010_ serigraph on paper; wood; steel; ladder; paint; red clay; cloth; hair; cotton and rust.
site specific design proposal, 2023
site specific design proposal, 2023.
Reclamation and Restoration design proposal 2023
Robert Turner Memorial Design variation_2021
Robert Turner Memorial_Burial marker design
Wo-Mende Series, 2023 graphite on paper and serigraph on plexiglass. 85" x 136" Among the Mende people in Sierra Leone, West Africa, the Mende mask is exclusively worn by initiated women in ceremonial dance. The Black American women rendered in this work all trace their ancestral roots back to the Mende people. ***photo courtesy of Johnson Lowe Gallery***