CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Image: Net Worth, 2024. Installation view at 2515 Holman Street, Project Row Houses, Houston, Texas. Photo by Alex Barber, courtesy of Project Row Houses.
Image: Net Worth (collages for installation), 2024.
MARCH 16, 2024 – JUNE 2, 2024
Round 56: Post Hip-Hop? Or Return of the Boom Bap!
Project Row Houses, Houston, TX
Seven art houses host Artist Rounds. Artist Rounds are a biannual event, with openings in March and October, for visiting artists to display works that address a topic, question, or challenge facing the community.
Artists in the exhibition
Yanira Collado, Sofía Córdova, Nathaniel Donnett, Luis Gispert, André Leon Gray, Rashawn Griffin, N. Masani Landfair, Lee Quiñones, Kabuya Saffo, Onajide Shabaka, and Tomas Vu.
Artist Statement
Net Worth is a large-scale installation of an imagined future “post-hip hop” archaeological excavation site of an historically Black community, revealing local cultural ties to the legacy of hip hop culture that has been uprooted and buried since the advent of gentrification in major U.S. cities since the 2010s, and the displacement of people who couldn’t afford to stay in the community where they grew up. This installation explores the intersection of valuation and identity within the historic systems of cultural, spiritual, physical, and psychological exploitation of melanated bodies and minds. Using found objects, collages, printed media, and various ephemera, this installation becomes a nostalgic meditation on a thriving Black community, while emphasizing collective strategy and the expression of one’s culture and self-worth to resist a paradigm of opposition and the long game of cultural control.
Image: Fighting in the land of the free, while desiring a better future, (diptych detail) 2023. Mixed media.
June 24, 2023 — indefinite end date
buffalo soldiers: reVision
Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center, Fort Garland, CO
The opening reception for the group exhibition was on the 165th anniversary of the opening of Fort Garland, where Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Calvary were stationed from 1876 to 1879.
Artists in the exhibition
Esther Belin, Mahogany L. Browne, Rosie Carter, Gaia, André Leon Gray, Theodore Harris, Tom Judd, and Chip Thomas.
The Buffalo Soldiers, 2023, video (black and white, 6 minutes 45 seconds). Silent film footage edited from the US National Archives of the 92nd Infantry Division, aka “The Buffalo Soldiers”.
Artist Statement
When I was offered the opportunity to add my voice to the visual conversation about the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers and the social and political complexities surrounding their service, I was drawn to the story of twenty men of the Twenty-Fifth Infantry Bicycle Corps who embarked on a challenging 1,900-mile journey on one-speed bicycles from Fort Missoula, Montana, to St. Louis, Missouri in 1896-97 as an U.S. Army experimental concept to possibly replace horses during times of moving troops for combat.
Since my artistic practice usually involves found and discarded objects to assist my coded visual narratives, a friend offered two worn and mud encrusted mountain bike tires that became the frames of the artworks Fighting in the land of the free, while desiring a better future (2023), and Defending the disrupters as he looked into the infinite (2023), highlighting the rough territory and harsh conditions of the American frontier the determined soldiers had to endure to accomplish their mission. In a close inspection of the tires, the viewer will notice they have two different treads, as a visual nod to one’s self-determination of mobility: using what you possess to get where you want.
My signature use of tar as a medium on canvas is a metaphor of the history of melanated people who often find themselves in situations that require a strategy to overcome obstacles that get in the way of their progression. The gold leaf background represents the alchemical process of self-awareness in the material world and the invaluable service provided by the legendary Buffalo Soldiers.
The double portrait of the faceless and mirrored soldier references W.E.B. DuBois’ concept of double consciousness, introduced in his 1903 seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk. Double consciousness refers to the dual self-perception experienced by subordinated or colonized groups in an oppressive society. DuBois felt he had two identities in society, one relating to his black identity, and the other to his American identity.
After the Civil War, to be a Buffalo Soldier was to be present and absent at the same time, embodying two worlds of existence: one of the loyal and disciplined soldier obeying orders to protect the Manifest Destiny ideology of U.S. territorial expansion in the western frontier and the forced removal of Native Americans; and one of the brave soldier, possessing a cultural legacy of resilience in the face of adversity, while aware of his own marginalized presence, and resisting any form of dehumanization or brutality from commanding white officers during his active service within a segregated U.S. Army. The cowrie shell eyes allude to this double insight, surrounded by a face filled with black glitter, echoing the infinite calmness of the starry night sky over God’s country.
̶ André Leon Gray
PAST EXHIBITIONS
Image: Undiscovered Genius of the Americas (Inter Caetera), 2023.
June 8 – July 28, 2023
Post Hip-Hop? or return of the Boom Bap!
Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York, NY
Curated by william cordova
Luis Gispert
Yanira Collado
Sofía Córdova
N. Masani Landfair
Nathaniel Donnett
André Leon Gray
Rashawn Griffin
Lee Quiñones
Onajide Shabaka
“A constant improvisation in time” — Amiri Baraka (Blues People)
Sikkema Jenkins & Co. is pleased to present Post Hip Hop?: or return of the Boom Bap!, a group exhibition curated by interdisciplinary cultural practitioner, william cordova. Participating artists include, Yanira Collado, Nathaniel Donnett, André Leon Gray, Sofía Córdova, N. Masani Landfair, Rashawn Griffin, Luis Gispert, Onajide Shabaka, and Lee Quiñones. Encompassing a diverse range of mediums and presentations, Post Hip Hop?: or return of the Boom Bap! centers around the onomatopoeic characteristics inherent to these artists’ work and the threads of sonic-visual dialogue created when exhibited collectively. Curator william cordova seeks to explore how their respective practices are shaped and informed by rhythm, syncopation, harmonic proportions, and the metaphysical concepts of musica universalis.
Polyrhythmic tones and patterns relate artist Yanira Collado and Nathaniel Donnett’s mathematical systems of improvisation to Jazz, Tango, and Merengue, all at once. Visual practitioner André Leon Gray and Sofía Córdova’s structures allude to altruistic frequencies that echo the ripples of Bomba and Salsa music. The oeuvres of visual artists N. Masani Landfair and Rashawn Griffin culminate with freestyle tones of stuttering narrative bits, analogous to the boom bap found in Nicolas Guillen’s cadenced poem, Sensemayá. Luis Gispert, Onajide Shabka, and Lee Quiñones offer more euphonic treaties akin to the Guaguancó. Echoing the clave pattern of the Cuban rumba, their works alter perceptions of the spatial and temporal with intentional modulations that strain, cascade, and reverberate. all at once the early 90s return of the boom bap!
“Cumanana cumanana, cumanana cumanana” — Victoria Santa Cruz (Cumanana)
For more info, visit: https://www.sikkemajenkinsco.com/ex20230608posthiphop
Viewable e-catalogue: https://issuu.com/sikkemajenkinsco/docs/post_hip-hop_e-book?fr=sZDk5MzU0MDc0
April 5 - July 16, 2023
The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century
Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD
Bass in Yo Face (2023) and Stop Playing Games (2023) was commissioned by william cordova for his installation Moby Dick (for Oscar Wilde, Oscar Romero y Oscar Grant), (2003/2008/2022). One vinyl record is displayed inside the car, while the vibration of the bass is felt and music heard around it.
Image: Bass in Yo Face, 2023 and Stop Playing Games, 2023. Limited edition of three copies. Vinyl record commissioned by william cordova for his installation Moby Dick (for Oscar Wilde, Oscar Romero y Oscar Grant), 2003/2008/2022.
Image: Installation view of william cordova’s Moby Dick (for Oscar Wilde, Oscar Romero y Oscar Grant), 2003/2008/2022 in the exhibition The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Sound installation Bass in Yo Face, 2023 by André Leon Gray, commissioned by william cordova.
February 13 - May 8, 2022
VISAGE: FACE WITH A VIEW
Cassilhaus, Chapel Hill, NC
The Cassilhaus Collection presents an extraordinary exhibition of portraiture collected over 20+ years to form the core of the Cassilhaus Collection of Contemporary Photography. The largest exhibition ever mounted at Cassilhaus, VISAGE features 100 works by 83 artists in a variety of media and photographic processes.
For more info, visit: https://cassilhaus.com/visage-face-with-a-view
August 30, 2021 - March 13, 2022
crossed kalunga by the stars & other acts of resistance
Gregg Museum of Art & Design, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Installation video of Masters of the Game at the Gregg Museum of Art & Design, NC State University, Raleigh, NC.
August 14, 2021 - January 17, 2022
Visual Vanguard: An Exhibition of Contemporary Black Carolina Artists
Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture, Charlotte, NC
Artists in the exhibition
Carla Aaron-Lopez, Endia Beal, Dare Coulter, Steven M. Cozart, de’Angelo Dia, Janelle Dunlap, André Leon Gray, Clarence Heyward, Percy King, Marcus Kiser, KOLPEACE, Georgie Nakima, Dimeji Onafuwa, Jermaine Powell, Lakeshia T. Reid, Sheldon Scott, Beverly Y. Smith, William Paul Thomas, Telvin Wallace, Torreah "Cookie" Washington, Tony Weaver, Aniqua Wilkerson, Antoine Williams, Jason Woodberry, Stephanie J. Woods
June 15 - July 9, 2021
Juneteenth Jubilee Black Art Show
The Fruit, Durham, NC
January 31 - November 22, 2020
To the Hoop: Basketball and Contemporary Art
Weatherspoon Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Viewing Room: https://weatherspoonart.org/viewing-room-to-the-hoop/
Viewable Exhibition Catalog: https://www.flipsnack.com/weatherspoon/to-the-hoop-catalog-press/full-view.html
Info: https://weatherspoonart.org/exhibition-to-the-hoop/
Interview on NPR The State of Things: https://www.wunc.org/post/hoop-greensboro-gallery-explores-universality-basketball
Host Frank Stasio talks to curator Emily Stamey, artist André Leon Gray, and photographer Bill Bamberger about the “To the Hoop” exhibition at Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro.
Artists in the exhibition
Gina Adams, Daniel Arsham, Bill Bamberger, Janet Biggs, Mark Bradford, Kendell Carter, André Leon Gray, David Hammons, David Hilliard, David Huffman, Brian Jungen, Jeff Koons, Esmaa Mohamoud, Suzanne McClelland, Maria Molteni, Paul Pfeiffer, Joyce J. Scott, Lorna Simpson, Victor Solomon, Hank Willis Thomas, and Nari Ward.
Image: Black Magic (It’s Fantastic), 2005. Mixed media assemblage. Collection of North Carolina Museum of Art.
September 10, 2019 - March 15, 2020
Dust My Broom: Southern Vernacular from the Permanent Collection
California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Artists in the exhibition
Leroy Almond, Hawkins Bolden, Richard Burnside, Michael Cummins, Sam Doyle, Minnie Evans, André Leon Gray, David Hammons, Alyne Harris, Bessie Harvey, Willard Hill, Robert Howell, Clementine Hunter, Willie Jinks, Daniel LaRue Johnson, Leanna Johnson, Adia Millett, Dominique Moody, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Rosalyn Myles, John Outterbridge, “Missionary” Mary Proctor, Noah Purifoy, John Riddle, Nellie Mae Rowe, Alison Saar, Betye Saar, Lezley Saar, Joseph Sims, Herbert Singleton, Georgia Speller, Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Mose Tolliver, Cattie Walls, Timothy Washington, Luster Willis, Purvis Young, and Brenna Youngblood.
Press:
Image: Membership Has Its Privileges, 2014. Burned wood, grip tape and leather on antique wooden tennis racquet. Collection of California African American Museum.
January 9 - February 25, 2020
lost lux libertas
Allcott Gallery, Hanes Art Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Press: https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2020/01/lux-libertas-0122
Image: Old Habits Are Hard to Break: A Subsidy for the Lost Cause, (installation detail), 2020.
December 2 - 8, 2019
PRIZM Art Fair
Alfred I. DuPont Building, Miami, FL
Press: https://hypebeast.com/2019/11/prizm-art-fair-love-in-the-time-of-hysteria-exhibition-basel-2019
April 27 - May 25, 2019
Zugzwang 22
Anchorlight, Raleigh, NC
“A few visceral passages from André Leon Gray's exhibition Zugzwang 22 - which closed last night - in culmination of a yearlong fellowship @ Anchorlight in Raleigh. Gray's signature attention to detail and careful facture were in full effect - as were some familiar ALG strategies of assemblage, visual punning, an interest in wholeness and fragmentation - and an ongoing engagement with a range of numeric, chronological and equational meanings - perhaps most recognizable in Gray's performative self-conscious recapitulation of the originary trauma of our nation's three-fifths clause - which has found expression in several of the artist's works over the years. The show conveyed a sweeping sometimes even dizzying sense of inhabiting multiple realms - laying down visual tracks and structural tropes from the local (Gray was born & raised in Raleigh) and the personal (several works featured the artist's archival family photos) to broader historical, cultural, political narratives - often highly interwoven - with meanings pushed through overt materialities (the use of tar as a painting medium, the use of cotton plants and raw earth - ladders and shoes - a chandelier with black and white flames/bulbs and a vintage black plastic crow) - material poetics that ricocheted viewers up and down our chakras - from modes of messaging that tapped into the esoteric or conceptual to the gut level realm of nonverbal experience - oscillating between sheer visual pleasure and the bleak past and very present realities laid bare in almost every work - even and perhaps sometimes especially those that also conveyed sly humor.”
- Commentary via Instagram from art writer Amy White on my solo show at Anchorlight, May 26, 2019
Image: Installation view at Anchorlight Gallery, 2019.
December 5 - 17, 2017
PRIZM Art Fair
Miami, FL
André Leon Gray with Peggy Cooper Cafritz discussing his work at Prizm Art Fair. Background: “Somebody said you are from nowhere. Is that true?” (2017).
April 26 - May 7, 2017
no polite disguise
The Carrack Modern Art, Durham, NC
Press: https://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article147251179.html
Image: foreground, “I’m gonna conquer with no fear until I find my way back home” (2017).
Background, “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” (2015).
2014
Works from the Permanent Collection
North Carolina Museum of Art
Info: https://ncartmuseum.org/art/detail/black_magic_its_fantastic
Image: Installation view at the North Carolina Museum of Art, with works by Lorna Simpson and Nick Cave.
September 23 - October 9, 2014
Masters of the Game
The Cube at VAE, Raleigh, NC
Image: Installation view of Masters of the Game, 2014.
April 2 - May 1, 2010
figment of the pigment
Flanders Gallery, Raleigh, NC
Press: https://indyweek.com/culture/art/andre-leon-gray-adds-flanders-gallery/
Image: Installation view at Flanders Gallery, 2010.