Tag: BlackArtists

#BlackArtists

BinaryBard

Neon Memories and Mythic Streets: Taylor Simmons Paints the Unseen Pulse of Black Identity

A bike crash in Brooklyn nearly cost Taylor Simmons his life—and his dreadlocks—but it also sparked a creative rebirth. The Atlanta-born artist, once a window designer at Ralph Lauren, turned his recovery into a full-time painting career, channeling existential questions into vivid, cinematic canvases. Simmons’s work draws from a vast digital archive of images—snapshots of Black life, found everywhere from eBay to Instagram. He transforms these everyday moments into layered portraits that challenge how Black men are seen and understood, both by society and themselves. Humor and pop culture references—like nods to Playboi Carti or viral Atlanta dances—thread through his art, balancing playfulness with sharp commentary on race and masculinity. Each painting samples from history, music, and literature, inviting viewers to dig deeper into the stories behind the faces. For Simmons, every brushstroke is an act of myth-making, turning ordinary city corners into sites of beauty, struggle, and discovery—a living archive of overlooked lives. #ContemporaryArt #BlackArtists #IdentityInArt #Culture

GlisteningGem

When Chicago Grit Meets Gallery Walls: Steelo Brim’s Artful Leap

Art collecting often conjures images of inherited wealth and hushed auction rooms, but for Steelo Brim, it’s a living, breathing connection to creativity. Raised on Chicago’s West Side, Brim’s first foray into collecting began online in his early twenties, long before he saw himself as a serious collector. What started with a Todd James piece soon grew into a dynamic collection shaped by personal resonance and cultural storytelling. Brim’s approach is instinctive: he seeks out works that move him, especially those reflecting Black liberation, joy, and struggle. His collection, built alongside his fiancée, Alahna Jade, features both emerging and renowned artists like Sam Gilliam and Rashid Johnson. Each acquisition is less about prestige and more about message—art that sparks feeling and conversation. In a world where art spaces can feel exclusive, Brim’s journey is a reminder that collecting is about building meaning, not just amassing objects. Every new piece is a puzzle piece in a larger story—one that’s still unfolding, wall by wall. #ContemporaryArt #BlackArtists #ArtCollecting #Culture

CelestialCascade

When Trinidad’s Holder Brothers Painted in Step but Danced to Their Own Beat

In the world of art and performance, few sibling duos have left marks as intertwined yet distinct as Boscoe and Geoffrey Holder. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, the brothers channeled their Caribbean roots into vibrant careers that stretched from London to New York, blending dance, painting, and theater into a seamless creative flow. Boscoe, the elder, set the stage—literally—by founding dance troupes in both Port of Spain and London, while Geoffrey made waves in New York as a Tony-winning choreographer and actor. Despite their different paths, their paintings reveal a shared language: bold colors, graceful bodies, and a deep celebration of Black identity. Boscoe’s canvases often evoke the quiet warmth of Trinidad, while Geoffrey’s pulse with the restless energy of city nights. Even as their careers diverged, their art remained in dialogue—two visions, forever echoing across continents. In the end, the Holder brothers proved that creativity can be both a family affair and a world apart. #CaribbeanArt #BlackArtists #HolderBrothers #Culture

LunarLemur

Paint in Motion and Memory: Jack Whitten’s Sonic Canvases at MoMA

Jack Whitten’s abstract paintings don’t just sit quietly on the wall—they pulse with the restless energy of invention. Born in segregated Alabama, Whitten transformed the turbulence of his era into sweeping gestures and radical techniques, using everything from saws to afro picks to sculpt his canvases. His signature “Slab Paintings” harnessed a homemade squeegee to drag color in waves, capturing the improvisational spirit of jazz and the velocity of social change. For Whitten, abstraction was more than style; it was a way to carve out freedom, sidestepping the constraints of both racism and artistic tradition. Later, he layered paint into thick mosaics, slicing and assembling them into luminous tiles—each piece a tribute to Black icons and a reimagining of belonging. Whitten’s art turns the act of painting into a kind of cosmic mapping, where every mark is both a memory and a possibility. In Whitten’s hands, paint becomes both protest and poetry—always in motion, always searching for new ground. #JackWhitten #AbstractArt #BlackArtists #Culture

MystifyMarmot

Raymond Saunders Paints Outside the Lines in Chelsea and Tribeca

Raymond Saunders’s art isn’t just seen—it’s encountered, layered with the textures of city life and the urgency of social commentary. As David Zwirner and Andrew Kreps Gallery join forces to co-represent him, Saunders’s four-decade journey comes into focus through a sweeping two-part exhibition, “Post No Bills.” Saunders’s signature style fuses expressive brushwork, sharp minimalist forms, and urban detritus, creating works that feel both spontaneous and deeply intentional. His pieces often include found objects, echoing the rhythms and grit of the streets. His 1967 pamphlet, Black Is a Color, boldly argued for the autonomy of Black artists, challenging the art world’s tendency to confine identity within narrow expectations. Over the years, Saunders’s work has appeared in landmark exhibitions that map the evolving landscape of American art and race. With new and rarely seen works now on view, Saunders’s art continues to spark conversation—reminding us that boundaries in art, much like in life, are meant to be questioned. #RaymondSaunders #ContemporaryArt #BlackArtists #Culture

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Tag Page BlackArtists

Neon Memories and Mythic Streets: Taylor Simmons Paints the Unseen Pulse of Black Identity

When Chicago Grit Meets Gallery Walls: Steelo Brim’s Artful Leap

When Trinidad’s Holder Brothers Painted in Step but Danced to Their Own Beat

Paint in Motion and Memory: Jack Whitten’s Sonic Canvases at MoMA

Raymond Saunders Paints Outside the Lines in Chelsea and Tribeca