Kenkeleba house
Kenkeleba house and the Wilmer Jennings gallery

Exploring Conceptual Possibilities

Exploring Conceptual Possibilities
Adjoa Burrowes, Carl Hazlewood
Algernon Miller, Lisette Morel, and Danielle Scott
July 19 to September 2, 2023

 
 
 
 

Press Release

Press
Reception

 

Exploring Conceptual Possibilities

From July 19 to September 2, 2023, the Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba is pleased to present Exploring Conceptual Possibilities, an exhibition curated by Lamerol Gatewood. The artists, Adjoa Burrowes, Carl Hazlewood, Algernon Miller, Lisette Morel and Danielle Scott, reference Afrofuturism, abstraction, Black scientific thought, the Black oral tradition, Black music, and Black spiritual traditions. All the works may be deciphered in a multitude of ways, and all of them are informed by narrative and visual history that demonstrates the diversity and complexity of Black conceptual thought. In Gatewood’s words, “Richly physical and digitally dimensional, these works spring from an inner vision of the Black experience.”

Adjoa Burrowes is a mixed media artist, author and educator born in Chicago. She has illustrated over 17 books. Her work addresses Black history along with current events using striking imagery that encourages explanation. Other works such as “Earth, I thank you” which is composed of deep natural greens, forms a verdant garden scene on canvas that becomes an ode to the garden as a sanctuary. Carl Hazlewood, born in Guyana, is a multimedia artist and Co-founder of the Aljira Art Center.  Hazlewood presents an installation in this exhibition that uses Black histories as inspiration for form. Through pleating, cutting and folding material his works both off and on the wall document Black perseverance and creation. Lisette Morel is a Dominican-American painter and performance artist. Her expressive abstract paintings often employ large brush strokes and deep, dark compositions evoking emotional release. For Morel, art is an expression of memory, pain, anger, loss and the need for Black recognition. Algernon Miller is an artist and musician born in Harlem. His work reflects both the past and present using Black scientific, architectural, and artistic heritage. He uses beading, quilting, dream catchers, sculpture, geometry, and numerology to make abstract, futuristic creations inspired by Afrofuturism, Egyptian mythology and the music of Sun Ra. Danielle Scott is a mixed media assemblage artist from New Jersey who uses painting, photography, sculpture, newspapers, raw materials, everyday objects, and mannequin heads. Her work creates conversation surrounding socio political issues through personal experiences and emotions created by these issues. The art works in this exhibition, while frequently experimental are always thought-provoking.

Kenkeleba programs are funded in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, The Mosaic Fund, the Ruth Foundation and many generous friends.

 

Installation Photos : Christian Carone
Invitation Design : Calo Rios
Reception Photos : Rodríguez Calero