MAYA FREELON ASANTE’s “Impermanence” reviewed in Washington Post

 

In the Galleries

by Mark Jenkins

December 23, 2015

 

 

Maya Freelon Asante
Dyed, crumpled tissue paper is the basis for the works in Maya Freelon Asante’s “Impermanence,” but that fundamental material takes many forms at the Morton Fine Art show. The Baltimore artist’s “Evidence/Nothing” series consists of twisted paper forms mounted on wood. Some of the other pieces are prints derived from wetly inked paper spun on a flat wheel. A few compositions incorporate old family photos, a celebration of personal heritage but also an expression of grief over the death of a child.

All of the works hang on the gallery’s walls, but some are partly sculptural. In addition to the ones made of tangled tissue, “Shattered/Whole” arrays seeds and shards of glass atop its pink-spattered paper. Yet Asante demonstrates that 3-D elements are not necessary to effect a sense of depth. The show’s standout is “Dark Matter,” a monoprint whose green and blue forms conjure motion, distance and gem-like facets. It appears both liquid and crystalline, impermanent and eternal.

 

Shattered Whole, 30″x20″, tissue paper, ink, glass, seeds and resin

 

 

Dark Matter, 58″x44″, spinning tisue paper ink mono print

Impermanence: Maya Freelon Asante On view through Jan. 5 at Morton Fine Art, 1781 Florida Ave. NW. 202-628-2787. mortonfineart.com.

Click HERE to view available artwork by MAYA FREELON ASANTE.

MAYA FREELON ASANTE partners with Google for launch of OnHub Makers

MAYA FREELON ASANTE partners with Google for the launch of OnHub Makers     Maya Freelon Asante with her OnHub sleeve design   Google‘s OnHub custom art sleeve by artist Maya FreelonAsante Morton Fine Art is excited to share that MAYA FREELON ASANTE is one of Google‘s partner artists for OnHub Makers – making home internet look a little more like home! Google invited her and a handful of other makers to create custom shell designs for the OnHub from TP-Link. See her design and others as well as download instructions to make your own! g.co/onhubmakers About OnHub by Google OnHub is a router from Google that provides fast Wi-Fi for all your devices. Routers work best when out in the open, so the OnHub from TP-LINK has interchangeable shells so you can better customize it to fit your space. In addition to the new shell designs that Google introduced, they shared the files with artists, designers, and makers from around the world to create their own OnHub shells. Now it’s your turn. See their designs and get inspired to make your own. Link to Google‘s OnHub Makers Gallery. Don’t miss the opportunity to congratulate MAYA FREELON ASANTE in person at the opening of her solo exhibition Impermanence this Saturday, December 12th from 2pm-6pm at Morton Fine Art!     Maya Freelon Asante, Divided/Whole, 2015, 25.5″x19″, spinning tissue ink monoprint Impermanence A solo exhibition of new artwork by MAYA FREELON ASANTE   Saturday, December 12th, 2015 – January 5th, 2016 OPENING DAY RECEPTION Saturday, December 12th 2pm-6pm   The artist will be in attendance. EXHIBITION LOCATION Morton Fine Art (MFA) 1781 Florida Ave NW (at 18th & U Sts) Washington, DC 20009 HOURS Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 6pm Sunday 12pm-5pm About Impermanence Impermance is Maya Freelon Asante‘s first solo exhibition following a deeply personal loss.  Deborah Willis, Ph.D. writes “Maya  FreelonAsante  explores  memory, memorial  and  family  in her  art  practice. She   also  examines  the social  and  artistic  space  within  the experience  of motherhood and   grieving.    Maya‘s  artwork  looks at the  fragility  of  life  and provides  the viewer  with  a   way  of retelling  a  story  about  life–joy and pain. Her current body of work draws on the temporal and is inspired by love of family specifically of her grandmother’s art practice as inspiration. “ About MAYA FREELON ASANTE‘S process & inspiration “In 2005 I discovered a beautiful accident; a stack of water damaged tissue paper tucked away in my grandmother’s basement was left with a brilliant and intricate stain. Since then I’ve submerged myself in the medium of bleeding tissue paper sculpture and tissue ink monoprints, which exist as simultaneously transient and steadfast. This dichotomy continues to intrigue and surprise me as I wrestle with sharing the unique beauty, fragility, and strength of my art with the world. Much like my grandmother, who never wasted a single grain of rice on her plate, I find a way to utilize tissue paper at every stage of creation – including the rich and colorful ink released when the paper is wet, the sculptural mounds formed when creating monoprints, and even the tiny ripped pieces no larger than a fingernail which are collected and wound into spiral sculptures. Improvisation and discovery play a big role in my creative process; by incorporating archival photographs I’m able to reappropriate images, bridging a gap between the past and future. My grandmother always said she “made a way out of no way” and her personal endurance opened a path for my own creative discovery. Art for me is about finding the message in the medium and honoring what fuels our desire to preserve and protect it. Bringing more peace, joy and light into the world is my primary objective, while simultaneously appreciating the beauty of now and creating everlasting memories.” –MAYA FREELON ASANTE About MAYA FREELON ASANTE Maya Freelon Asante is an award-winning artist whose artwork was described by poet Maya Angelou as “visualizing the truth about the vulnerability and power of the human being,” and her unique tissue paper work was also praised by the International Review of African American Art as a “vibrant, beating assemblage of color.” She was selected by Modern Luxury Magazine as Best of the City 2013, by the Huffington Post’s “Black Artists: 30 Contemporary Art Makers Under 40 You Should Know”, and Cosmopolitan Magazine’s “Art Stars” as “the most badass female artists in the biz.” Maya has exhibited her work nationally and internationally including Paris, Ghana, and US Embassies in Madagascar, Italy, Jamaica and Swaziland. She has been a professor of art at Towson University and Morgan State University. Maya has attended numerous residencies including Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Korobitey Institute and Brandywine Workshop. She earned a BA from Lafayette College and an MFA from the School of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She is currently represented by Morton Fine Art in Washington, DC.

 

MAYA FREELON ASANTE’s solo show “IMPERMANENCE” at Morton Fine Art

 

Impermanence
A solo exhibition of new artwork by MAYA FREELON ASANTE

Saturday, December 12th, 2015 – January 5th, 2016

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About Impermanence

Impermance is Maya Freelon Asante’s first solo exhibition following a deeply personal loss.  Deborah Willis, Ph.D. writes “Maya  Freelon Asante  explores  memory, memorial  and  family  in her  art  practice. She   also  examines  the social  and  artistic  space  within  the experience  of motherhood and   grieving.    Maya’s  artwork  looks at the  fragility  of  life  and provides  the viewer  with  a   way  of retelling  a  story  about  life–joy and pain. Her current body of work draws on the temporal and is inspired by love of family specifically of her grandmother’s art practice as inspiration. ”

---

About MAYA FREELON ASANTE’S process & inspiration

“In 2005 I discovered a beautiful accident; a stack of water damaged tissue paper tucked away in my grandmother’s basement was left with a brilliant and intricate stain. Since then I’ve submerged myself in the medium of bleeding tissue paper sculpture and tissue ink monoprints, which exist as simultaneously transient and steadfast. This dichotomy continues to intrigue and surprise me as I wrestle with sharing the unique beauty, fragility, and strength of my art with the world.

Much like my grandmother, who never wasted a single grain of rice on her plate, I find a way to utilize tissue paper at every stage of creation – including the rich and colorful ink released when the paper is wet, the sculptural mounds formed when creating monoprints, and even the tiny ripped pieces no larger than a fingernail which are collected and wound into spiral sculptures. Improvisation and discovery play a big role in my creative process; by incorporating archival photographs I’m able to reappropriate images, bridging a gap between the past and future.

My grandmother always said she “made a way out of no way” and her personal endurance opened a path for my own creative discovery. Art for me is about finding the message in the medium and honoring what fuels our desire to preserve and protect it. Bringing more peace, joy and light into the world is my primary objective, while simultaneously appreciating the beauty of now and creating everlasting memories.”

-MAYA FREELON ASANTE

---

About MAYA FREELON ASANTE

Maya Freelon Asante is an award-winning artist whose artwork was described by poet Maya Angelou as “visualizing the truth about the vulnerability and power of the human being,” and her unique tissue paper work was also praised by the International Review of African American Art as a “vibrant, beating assemblage of color.” She was selected by Modern Luxury Magazine as Best of the City 2013, by the Huffington Post’s “Black Artists: 30 Contemporary Art Makers Under 40 You Should Know”, and Cosmopolitan Magazine’s “Art Stars” as “the most badass female artists in the biz.”

Maya has exhibited her work nationally and internationally including Paris, Ghana, and US Embassies in Madagascar, Italy, Jamaica and Swaziland. She has been a professor of art at Towson University and Morgan State University. Maya has attended numerous residencies including Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Korobitey Institute and Brandywine Workshop. She earned a BA from Lafayette College and an MFA from the School of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She is currently represented by Morton Fine Art in Washington, DC.

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KESHA BRUCE “5 Black and Latino Artists You Need to Know”

5 black and Latino artists you need to know

At Miami’s Art Basel, a new, more diverse crop of talent is on the rise.

BY COREY CHALUMEAU DEC 9, 2015

 

IMAGE VIA GETTY / THADDAEUS MCADAMS

Every December, artists and aficionados alike hit up Miami for a week of shows, events, and hobnobbing with the 1 percent.

For enthusiasts, Art Basel marks the winter reunion of the global art world; for socialites, it means a week’s worth of free booze, elaborate parties, and the chance to network with top influencers.

Regardless of what draws you to the 305, Art Basel’s primary purpose is to celebrate artists. But since the art world is widely known for its classism and elitism, we had to wonder: How much diversity would be present on art’s biggest stage? After perusing Art Basel’s most high-profile shows—Pulse, Scope, Aqua, and Basel—it’s clear that artists and gallery owners of color remain underrepresented.

Luckily, NTRSCTN managed to find five artists who break the mostly white mold, and present diverse narratives.

 

Original photos and interviews by Corey Chalumeau​

• 1. Michi Meko
• Hometown: Florence, Alabama
  Currently lives in: Atlanta
  Where to find his work: AlanAveryArtCompany.com

  Thoughts on his art: “The overall narrative I’m interested in is Southern culture and contemporary underground culture, and where those two aesthetics meet. But it’s also of an exploration into blackness and its identity in that Southernness.”

• Latest project: “Buoyancy” explores themes involving water, specifically tackling the stereotype that black people can’t swim. It also comments on Meko​’s previous experience as a fisherman.
• Why he matters: As a multidisciplinary artist, Meko works with different media to portray black heroes post-slavery, choosing to shed light on a more positive element of blackness rather than focusing on the trauma of the slave narrative. He utilizes a trapped-out aesthetic, visible in projects like Gourds, The Job of Resurrectors, and We Been Gold, which helps his work resonate with a younger audience.

• 2. Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic
• Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina
  Currently lives in: Brooklyn
  Where to find his work: Aerosynlex.com
• Why he matters: Mestrovic is a multidisciplinary artist whose work has been displayed at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. One of his most recent paintings was also shown at and later donated to the White House. Mestrovic collaborates with some of the world’s best-known brands and personalities, including Kenzo, Nike, Diesel, Public School, and artist Jeff Koons.
• Latest project: A multi-piece installation called “Paper View,”  in collaboration with digital company MOO, which celebrates works made entirely from paper.
• Thoughts on his art: “You come to these art fairs, and everyone’s trying to scream as loud as possible to grab your attention. But I believe the work I’m able to do is something a little more reserved. If you really dig, there’s a lot more to it, a deeper conversation there, which is throughout all of my work—whether it be for a women’s collection (like the one I’m designing in Japan), or the tour visuals I did for Kanye West, or the short film I worked on for UK’s Channel 4 and Protein London as part of theRandom Acts arts platform.”

• 3. Kesha Bruce
• Hometown: Pella, Iowa
  Currently lives in: Paris
  Where to find her work: KeshaBruce.com
• Latest project: A collection of paintings entitled “The Guardians,” which is a solemn tribe of mysterious beings who act as watchers, keepers, and protectors. The idea came to Bruce when she “awoke in the early morning hours to witness a figure hovering at the foot of her bed.” That moment conjured up many emotions for Bruce, including fascination, terror, and wonder—themes on which she has focused over the past three years.
• Thoughts on her art: “The work I’m doing right now is focused on contemporary spirituality, but what I’m most interested in is personal mythology and the magical spiritual belief in the African diaspora, as well as people’s belief systems and personal belief systems. The paintings I’m working on now are my own magical symbols that are personal just to me, that belong to no other religion or spiritual system.”

  Why she matters: Bruce has been awarded fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, theVermont Studio Center, and French creative center CAMAC. She also received a Puffin Foundation grant for her work with Artist’s Books. Bruce’s art is part of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture’s permanent collection.

• 4. Alejandro Salazar
• Hometown: Colima, Mexico
  Currently lives in: Miami
  Where to find his work:JennyGreenGallery.com
• Why he matters: Salazar says he is determined to portray his Latin roots in his work, and to spark meaningful conversation as a result.
• Latest project: His painting “Tres Pescados” (“Three Fish” in Spanish) comments on excessive consumption, and the role it plays in a society where people are constantly baited by advertising and marketing—much like how humans bait fish.
• Thoughts on his art: “I think art should have many purposes beyond just the creating. There’s a lot work out here that doesn’t speak to me—it’s not made with your hands, so it has no spirit. You can tell it’s flat; its only purpose is to decorate. I feel works—especially those that are made through painting—should serve a purpose beyond just decoration.”

• 5. Gregory Saint Amand a.k.a. GoGo
• Hometown: New York, but raised in Haiti
  Currently lives in: Manhattan
  Where to find his work: IKnowGoGo.com
• Why he matters: Amand currently has work featured in the corporate collection of hedge fund Red Alder, and his first solo show will kick off later this winter. In just two years, Amand has presented his work at two of the biggest fairs at Art Basel; last year, he showed at Miami’s Red Dot Art Fair and this year, his work was on display at contemporary art show Scope.

  Latest project: “Kitty Face,” a painting inspired by a trip to China during which Amand​ saw impressive graffiti that felt familiar, but couldn’t translate. Instead of getting frustrated, he decided to use the graffiti as his backdrop, and then adds an urban figure (e.g. a young black girl or a black male boxer) to either cause tension, or see if the two can blend together seamlessly.

• Thoughts on his art: “My art is about juxtaposing elements that we don’t think match, and then putting them together to see how seamlessly they live together. I think that nine out of 10 times, us human beings are so much alike. We’re doing these things in different cultures, but when you see it on a canvas, it just works. Visually, we all speak similar languages.”

Click HERE to view the article in full.

Please contact Morton Fine Art for available artwork by KESHA BRUCE.

Morton Fine Art, 1781 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009

(202) 628-2787, mortonfineart@gmail.com, http://www.mortonfineart.com