On February 10th, RJD Gallery opens its 2018 season with A Brief History, an exhibition celebrating Black History Month, curated by Dexter Wimberly. A Brief History will feature work by artists, Jules Arthur, Margaret Bowland, Sylvia Maier, Fahamu Pecou, and Phillip Thomas.
This group of multicultural, cross-generational painters, photographers, and mixed-media artists present diverse visions of Black identity, while expressing the social and political progress that defined the past half-century. While some of the works in A Brief History celebrate great mile stones, others comment on present-day aspirations and struggles. Together, they provide a fresh vision for the future.
Curator, Dexter Wimberly belongs to a new school of curatorial practice that is transforming the way art is exhibited. In 2016, he was appointed Executive Director of Aljira - a Center for Contemporary Art in Newark, New Jersey. During his decade-long career, Wimberly has curated more than 40 exhibitions of emerging and mid-career artists in museums and galleries around the world, including the Museum of Arts and Design; New York, Contemporary Art Museum; Raleigh, The California African American Museum; Los Angeles, bitforms gallery; New York, Koki Arts gallery; Tokyo, and The Third Line gallery; Dubai.
Images: "High-Sis in the Garden of Heathen" by Phillip Thomas. Mixed media on panel, 63.5 x 49 inches.
"Muhammad Ali 5th Street Gym" by Jules Arthur. Oil & mixed media on wood, 65 x 47 inches.
"UnAmerican Idol" by Fahma Pecou. Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas, 63.5 x 49 inches.