Curator (and busy man) Jerome China cooks up an engaging sequel to his excellent 2023 show at Novado Gallery

Face forward: Mikel Elam’s Nocturnal Conversations

Jerome China breaks chains. That sounds like a metaphor, but it isn’t: China, a sculptor of brawny statues in iron and steel, often includes metal links in his work. Allusions to bondage, the middle passage, and resistance to oppression are hard to miss. Yet China is also drawn to the aesthetics of force. He likes applications of practical physics, and he’s sensitive to dramatic gestures. A shattered chain looks cool. It means something strong has met something stronger.

Signs of a titanic struggle were visible all over “Black’ity Black,” the emotional exhibition of abstract pieces by African American artists that Jerome China curated at Novado Gallery (110 Morgan St.) in winter 2023. That show was nonfigurative, but it sure wasn’t noncombative. Almost exactly two years later, China returns with “I Said What I Said,” another bruiser fitted into a room distinguished by its brick-faced beauty. The art that China has brought with him isn’t all abstract, and the creators of these pieces aren’t all African American. Nevertheless, in tone, theme, and attitude, this show feels like a sequel.

To what can we attribute this continuity? It’s mostly down to China himself, whose tastes reflect a few strong preferences. He appreciates muscular expression: bold colors and thick lines that simultaneously suggest spontaneity and decisiveness. He responds to bursts of energy, loops, tangles, and vectors of motion. An undercurrent of defiance runs through his own work and the work he showcases. That which was fettered has broken free. It’s bruised and square-shouldered against adversity. It might be exhausted. But it’s on the loose.

Click the link to read the entire article

https://www.eye-level.net/post/i-said-what-i-said

The post Tris McCall Eye Level Post first appeared on River View Observer.

Tris McCall

We would all like to believe our ancestors are smiling down at us.  We want to think that if they could see us, theyâ€d beam with approval.  In the fantasy, theyâ€d radiate nothing but warmth.  But if we could stand before them, what would we observe?  What marks would omniscience leave on their faces?  If they could watch us as we went about our lives — if they could peer into our private moments — would they really be so pleased?  And what about the parlous state of the world?  Would they not be weary of all the deleterious matters and cruel inequities that obstruct their guidance and protection?

Heather Williams has thought about all of this, and sheâ€s been brutally honest about it.  Her “Protective Spirits” are formidable, and sincere, but theyâ€re also tired of the nonsense. The weight of history is heavy on their faces: it drags down their eyelids, furrows their brows, and tears at their terra-cotta cheeks. Williamsâ€s visages will stare out from the walls of the Bridge Gallery (199 Broadway, Bayonne) until mid-July.  Standing before one of them is a bit like facing a stern but loving auntie after youâ€ve screwed up. Facing an entire roomful, as you do at “Protective Spirits,” might just prompt you to reevaluate some of your dodgier decisions in order to get right with the ancestors.

The post HEATHER WILLIAMS -PROTECTIVE SPIRITS -BRIDGE ART GALLERY first appeared on River View Observer.