I want my art to deal with very formal concerns and to deal with very material concerns, and to deal with antecedents and art history, which for me go very far beyond just the influence of African-American artists.
American artist Rashid Jonhson works in sculpture and photography, frequently incorporating objects from everyday life, with strong cultural references, such as shea butter, soap, wax or VHS cassettes. Johnson's work examines racial identity in the context of conceptual African-American art, with humour and pathos.
The way that light hits objects, I think, is one of the more important things that sculpture and photography share.
Rashid Johnson is working across the disciplines of painting, sculpture, photography, and video, Johnson explores his personal past and identity within the larger context of African American intellectual and creative history.
He is perhaps best known for his shelf-like constructions, which were inspired by Conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner’s description of a table as “something to put something on” in his 2007 book of the same title. Johnson has translated this idea into wall pieces that support items from the artist’s life, including books by sociologist and civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Parliament and Al Green record covers, African shea butter, CB radios, and houseplants. These works use appropriated objects to emphasize the embedded narratives that transform a physical object into a visual symbol. Johnson’s work articulates the challenge of distinguishing an independent personal history amid the strength of a collective social history such as that of African Americans.
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Rashid Johnson2x3, 2014mirrored titled black soap waxvinyl shea butter182.9 x 243.8 x 30.5 cm
72 1/16 x 95 15/16 x 12 1/16 in -
Rashid JohnsonShades, 2013Burned red oak flooring black soap wax spray enamel184.2 x 125.7 x 7.6 cm
72 8/16 x 49 7/16 x 2 15/16 in -
Rashid JohnsonFaces at the Bottom of the Well, 2013Black mirrored tile black soap wax184.2 x 125.7 x 7.6 cm
72 8/16 x 49 7/16 x 2 15/16 in -
Rashid Johnson25th of October, 2012Burned red oak flooring black soap wax shea butter184.2 x 123.2 x 20.3 cm
72 8/16 x 48 8/16 x 7 15/16 in -
Rashid JohnsonOut, 2012Branded red oak flooring black soap wax spray enamel183 x 122 x 7 cm
72 1/16 x 48 1/16 x 2 12/16 in -
Rashid JohnsonCosmic Slop Little Brother, 2012black soap microcrystalline wax on board183 x 122 x 4 cm
72 1/16 x 48 1/16 x 1 9/16 in
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Resistance 1 - 30.05.2021 Gallery | Knokke KustlaanA refined selection of paintings and sculptures celebrating the power of an inspiring and highly symbolic colour: BLACK.Read more
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Georg Baselitz, Rashid Johnson, William Daniels
Group show 18.01 - 7.03.2020 The Warehouse | Zaventem | BelgiumGeorg Baselitz became known for his figurative, expressive paintings and sculptures in the 80s. His expressionistic mark-making is characterised by bold colors, forceful brushstrokes, and the incorporation of folkloric or...Read more
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Art Brussels Week 2021
3 - 6.06.2021For the Art Brussels WEEK, galleries will be open from Thursday 3 June through Sunday 6 June from 11am to 6pm. Our gallery is excited...Read more -
Tefaf Maastricht 2020
7 - 15.03.2020Established in 1988, TEFAF is widely regarded as the world’s pre-eminent fair of art and antiques. TEFAF champions the finest quality art from across the...Read more -
BRAFA 2020
26.01 - 2.02.2020The Brafa Art Fair, created in 1956, is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious art fairs, famous for the high quality fine art,...Read more