UTA Artist Space is pleased to present In the Wilderness, an exhibition with Baltimore-based curator, professor and interdisciplinary artist James Williams II, on view from July 13 through August 12. Prompted by questions around identity raised by his then five-year-old daughter, Williams’ new body of paintings and wall works explore the anxieties of navigating conversations about racism and discrimination as a Black parent and how media has shaped racial constructs across generations.
Williams’ use of satire and tactile, childlike materials such as yarn, chalkboard and Velcro belies the complexities and ambiguities of the Black construct. Just as his daughters’ unaffected understanding of race reminds him that the racial complexities in our society need not be as complicated, The Rose Garden, for example, with manipulative Velcro and faceless, silhouetted figures, points out that the Black construct is complicated, fluid, and unreliable.
Three new sculptural paintings on view, each taking the form of vintage CRT television sets, reference formative cultural moments from his childhood: “Boyz n the Hood,” Notorious B.I.G. music videos, and the “Street Fighter” video games. The three scenes, artifacts from popular culture, examine the Black character archetypes in film. Similar to the materiality of the oil paintings, the television sets feature working power buttons, lights, and even a prop video game controller, tempting viewers to touch and experience their exploration of the Black construct first-hand.
“For Black Americans, the metaphorical wilderness can represent the historical and ongoing struggle for equality, justice, and acceptance in a predominantly white society. There have been people before me who have left behind footprints and markers that told stories of their experiences. In similar fashion, this exhibition is full of personal stories in my experience as a young Black man and the markers I leave behind for my children. I want the work to speak on topics of race and trauma, but I also want to speak on love and grace,” says Williams.
“We have always been drawn to the playfulness and materiality in James’ practice. With his new body of work exploring film, television, and representation, it’s fitting and thought-provoking to showcase the pieces at UTA, which sits at the epicenter of those verticals,” said Bridgette Baldo, Director, and Tony Parker, Sales Director, of UTA Artist Space, Atlanta.
from the exhibition text
