The silhouette or shadow of any particular culture is ever changing and can be misleading if judged just by what you see on the wall. If the sun is too high, the shadow stretches. If the pose is just right you might appear more statuesque. In our world, the media is the mirror and the flashlight that all too often simplifies and reveals these shadows and silhouettes for what they really are. There seems to be no group more simplified or more revealed in the past few years like gay men, specifically black gay men.
Back in January we posted about Tayana Fazlalizadeh’s “Victim of American Fear” piece, inspired by the tragic story of Sean Bell here. As promised, the Philadelphia based artist is expanding on the series and recently sent me this image of a new painting. Like the previous piece, this one depicts a young black male subject with targets cast across his body. Powerful stuff. I’m looking forward to see where this is going.
Michael Pukac has quickly established himself as one of the more prolific live painters as well as made a name for himself by exhibiting relentlessly throughout the LA art community.
Read MoreAn interview with Atlanta-based painter Bethany Marchman.
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Art and Aesthetic Aces: Scott G. Brooks Finds Beauty in the Grotesque
Scott G Brooks lives and works in Washington, DC. His subject matter ranges from simple portraiture to intricate narratives. In his paintings, he takes social, psychological, and political issues and injects them with a dark sense of humor. Anatomical distortions separate the figures from the photographic ideal, which gives him the freedom to create his own distorted reality. His work is described as twisted and offbeat, sentimental, and disturbing.
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