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"CURRENTS" featuring the artwork of F. Geoffrey Johnson and Kerly Suffren, at the AFSC Georgia Peace Center Gallery, 60 Walton Street, Atlanta, GA 30303 (downtown Atlanta). The exhibition will run from November 5 through December 10, 2011 and we have a full menu of events for the show. We'll have an opening reception and artist talk Nov. 5th and exciting panel discussions on subsequent weekends.
CURRENTS is a visual art exhibit featuring works by F. Geoffrey Johnson and Kerly Suffren. The exhibit features works by two men from two very different generations. F. Geoffrey, who is in his 60’s grew up influenced by “Jim Crow” laws and the Civil Rights Movement; while Kerly, in his thirties, sites the influence of Hip-Hop culture as a major factor in shaping his sense of identity and politics.
Their combined work offers an opportunity to look at a social/cultural/political continuum of issues and events that touch the lives of black men in positive and negative ways. Both artists find ways to pay tribute to the contribution of Africans and Africans in the Diaspora who helped to shape the culture and political landscape of this nation.
The title of the joint showing is taken from a word that is as fluid as black history. Currents can imply anything from existing now: happening, existing, or in force at the present; to valid: accepted as legally valid; or presently accepted: widely known, accepted, or believed.
The exhibit “CURRENTS” speaks to the myriad of issues that face black men in the world. It speaks to current issues that involve all people but specifically to issues involving Africans and people of African ancestry in and throughout the Diaspora. In Africa, it speaks to slavery, yesterday and today. It speaks to the inhumane treatment of Nigerians suffering from fifty-years of oil leaks that is a catastrophic disaster. It speaks to the so-called “first worlds” laissez-faire attitude towards Rwanda’s civil unrest. It speaks to the treatment and non-treatment of people of African ancestry in the United States from slavery through today. “CURRENTS” speaks to the fabric of America and the values she proclaims versus the actions she takes.
“CURRENTS” speaks to the culture of Hip-Hop and the impact it has on the lives of young Black men in the twenty-first century. Through imagery and text, Kerly explores the evolution of hip-hop—an opportunity to educate audiences about the history of Hip-hop and what makes it a culture as opposed to a music trend. But, it is also an opportunity to ask the hard questions of those who see themselves as products of this culture; “What happened to the promise of black unity and progress?”
Through a series of programs that focus on music, poetry and visual art, “CURRENTS” demonstrates how they connect to the Peace and Justice movements in an evolution of cultural activism from Frederick Douglas to Paul Robeson to Public Enemy—a deeper way to understand the role played by black men in the transformation of the world.
CURRENTS is a visual art exhibit featuring works by F. Geoffrey Johnson and Kerly Suffren. The exhibit features works by two men from two very different generations. F. Geoffrey, who is in his 60’s grew up influenced by “Jim Crow” laws and the Civil Rights Movement; while Kerly, in his thirties, sites the influence of Hip-Hop culture as a major factor in shaping his sense of identity and politics.
Their combined work offers an opportunity to look at a social/cultural/political continuum of issues and events that touch the lives of black men in positive and negative ways. Both artists find ways to pay tribute to the contribution of Africans and Africans in the Diaspora who helped to shape the culture and political landscape of this nation.
The title of the joint showing is taken from a word that is as fluid as black history. Currents can imply anything from existing now: happening, existing, or in force at the present; to valid: accepted as legally valid; or presently accepted: widely known, accepted, or believed.
The exhibit “CURRENTS” speaks to the myriad of issues that face black men in the world. It speaks to current issues that involve all people but specifically to issues involving Africans and people of African ancestry in and throughout the Diaspora. In Africa, it speaks to slavery, yesterday and today. It speaks to the inhumane treatment of Nigerians suffering from fifty-years of oil leaks that is a catastrophic disaster. It speaks to the so-called “first worlds” laissez-faire attitude towards Rwanda’s civil unrest. It speaks to the treatment and non-treatment of people of African ancestry in the United States from slavery through today. “CURRENTS” speaks to the fabric of America and the values she proclaims versus the actions she takes.
“CURRENTS” speaks to the culture of Hip-Hop and the impact it has on the lives of young Black men in the twenty-first century. Through imagery and text, Kerly explores the evolution of hip-hop—an opportunity to educate audiences about the history of Hip-hop and what makes it a culture as opposed to a music trend. But, it is also an opportunity to ask the hard questions of those who see themselves as products of this culture; “What happened to the promise of black unity and progress?”
Through a series of programs that focus on music, poetry and visual art, “CURRENTS” demonstrates how they connect to the Peace and Justice movements in an evolution of cultural activism from Frederick Douglas to Paul Robeson to Public Enemy—a deeper way to understand the role played by black men in the transformation of the world.
