Impermanence
A solo exhibition of new artwork by MAYA FREELON ASANTE
Saturday, December 12th, 2015 – January 5th, 2016
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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Tags: African American Art, African American Artist, artist, contemporary art, dc, Impermanence, Maya Freelon Asante, MFA Morton Fine Art, morton fine art, tissue ink monoprint
Morton Fine Art: curator's notes 