Head uptown to celebrate the centennial of the Harlem Renaissance with Fire & Soul: 100 Years of Harlem. Presented by Art Crawl Harlem at Kente Royal Gallery, this sweeping group exhibition features a vibrant array of work by 18 artists influenced by the iconic neighborhood.
The Harlem Renaissance emerged in the wake of the 1918 influenza pandemic and The Great Migration which brought an influx of Black Americans from the South in search of opportunity. “A movement translating the joy, pain, resilience, and brilliance of Black people. A rising up of sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers. A celebration of artistry, individuality, and community,” according to the Art Crawl Harlem website.
Fire & Soul commemorates this influential movement in Black history during another pandemic, celebrating the “the majesty of Black life” a century ago, today, and looking ahead to the future. The artwork showcased in the exhibit examines “the varying identities and impacts of Black people as it intersects American culture, from The Great Migration to immigration, music, sexuality and gender identity, politics, religion, public health, education, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pursuit of freedom and everyday life.”
Fire & Soul curators Nakia Hicks, Ulysses Williams, Executive Director of Art Crawl Harlem, and Dodji Gbedemah, owner of Kente Royal Gallery, received an overwhelming response when the call for submissions launched for the exhibit early last month. “We knew it was going to be an important exhibit, but…considering COVID and everything that’s been going on this year, we didn’t know that the interest was going to be that big. We were pleasantly surprised,” Gbedemah said last week at the gallery.
“We were heartbroken that we couldn’t include everyone,” he added. “We wanted to have all of them because they were all wonderful pieces.”
Featuring painting, photography, collage, sculpture, digital art, and textile art, the exhibit features longtime Harlem stalwarts such as Thomas Heath, artist and owner of Heath Gallery, and Rudy Collins, a photographer who has documented the neighborhood for decades. “He’s a true Harlemite,” Gbedemah said of Collins. “Not only was he born here in Harlem, lived here his whole life, but he took a lot of pictures of Harlem, especially of the architecture and personalities and all kinds of people who came through here. He’s seen it all.”
“The Harlem Renaissance [included] poets, musicians, writers, painters, and dancers,” exclaims Gbedemah. “It was an explosion of artistic expression.” Fire & Soul serves as an “ode to the Harlem Renaissance and beyond,” he continued. “Yes, the Harlem Renaissance happened a hundred years ago but what happened in the hundred years that followed? And what’s going to happen in the next hundred years?”
Khalid Sabree vividly illustrates Harlem’s musical history linking two hometown genres in Jazz Iz Hio Hop Iz Jazz while a fiery orange canvas proudly declares The New Harlem Renaissance, a nod to today’s thriving creative community showcased at this exhibit.
Harlem-based textile artist William Daniels upholds the African American tradition of quilt-making. “He is one of the few male African American quilters,” Gbedemah notes. “In the African American tradition, there’s been a lot of quilters since slavery but the majority of them have been women.” Daniels’ three black, white, and red panels perfectly combine the time-honored craft with a modern graphic aesthetic.
Anthony Boone’s monochromatic sculptural works darkly stand out in the gallery filled with brightly hued works. Black Butterfly represents “Black women and their beauty,” Gbedemah explains, while a closer look of Ma’ Dear reveals a woman feeding an infant, a haunting representation of wet nurses or “Black women feeding white babies,” he adds.
Matrilineal I, a portrait of Mario Joyce Belyusar’s mother, traces the artist’s African American lineage through her womb. Belyusar further explores his roots by incorporating vintage family photos in Patriarchy and Matriarch.
Daryl Daniels’ intimate works focus on everyday New Yorkers riding public transportation. Far From Home, her painting of a young boy curled up on a bus seat pensively staring out the window, is a touching and familiar sight. “We’ve all been there, riding with our parent and looking at the beauty of New York City,” Gbedemah says of the work. “A young person experiencing the city.”
The message of the exhibition is hope, according to Gbedemah. “Maybe it’s a coincidence that we have another pandemic,” he said. “Every time society goes through such a drastic period, we come out of it with an explosion of creativity, business, and prosperity.” Fire & Soul: 100 Years of Harlem is an outstanding homage to a storied NYC neighborhood that will inspire pride and optimism. “We might be going through a tough time right now but 2021 is around the corner.” Learn more at artcrawlharlem.com.
Art Crawl Harlem Presents Fire & Soul: 100 Years of Harlem
Kente Royal Gallery, 2373 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, Harlem
Exhibition on view December 3, 2020 through January 3, 2021
Gallery Hours: Wed. – Fri. 2pm to 8pm; Sat. & Sun. 12pm to 8pm; Mon. & Tue. closed
Visitors must follow social distancing protocol. Reservations are encouraged. RSVP here.
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