This contemporary artwork features a visually striking composition of angular shapes and bold colors. The predominant palette consists of black, white, yellow, and blue, creating a dynamic and eye-catching design. The overall arrangement of the geometric forms and the use of varied textures and patterns suggest an abstract, collage-like aesthetic.
The subject matter appears to be a playful exploration of typography and language, with the inclusion of the word "MINE" and the phrase "stuck in a cloud of no. 1". This suggests a commentary on ownership, individuality, and the ephemeral nature of identity in the digital age.
The artist has employed a distinctive style that combines elements of pop art, cubism, and street art, resulting in a visually stimulating and thought-provoking piece. The work's vibrant colors and bold, fragmented composition reflect the chaotic and fast-paced nature of contemporary society. ...
Jebila Okongwu critiques stereotypes of Africa and African identity and repurposes them as counterstrategies, drawing on African history, symbolism, and spirituality. One of his preferred materials is banana boxes; their tropicalized graphics articulate an ‘exotic’ provenance, much like the exoticization of African bodies from an ethnocentric perspective. When these boxes are shipped to the West from Africa, the Caribbean and South America, old routes of slavery are retraced, accentuating existing patterns of migration, trade, and exploitation.
Okongwu often investigates methods to communicate what it feels like to be embedded in structures of domination such as colonialism, racism, and exploitation, and how to represent this aspect of blackness. His frequent use of imagery related to BDSM is not an attempt to allude to the histories of domination and oppression by analogy with these practices, where acts of submission are obviously voluntary, but as an instrument to examine roles of difference and the embodiment of certain types of sensations. The artist is questioning how difference becomes material within the contexts of race and power. By the layering of the exoticized and stereotyped corporate logos of multinational banana importers with imagery related to BDSM, he attempts to articulate the complex histories of physical experience on the body of the other, where domination and brutality have not only been profitable, but also eroticized.
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Founded in 2016, Baert Gallery maintains a distinct focus on bridging the historical legacies and artistic sensibilities of Europe and Los Angeles. Working with a roster of emerging artists, the gallery is committed to showcasing a diverse program of work that engages complex philosophical, critical, and political concepts while challenging settled and conventional aesthetic expectations. Located in Los Angeles’ Arts District, the gallery is dedicated to fostering and promoting the region’s unique art scene in a spirit of local cooperation and in dedication to mindful sensitivity towards its broader geographical and social milieu. ...
