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AFRICOBRA 50 : Kavi Gupta | 219 N. Elizabeth St. Chicago, IL, 60607

Past exhibition
29 September - 27 October 2018
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Overview
AFRICOBRA 50 , Kavi Gupta | 219 N. Elizabeth St. Chicago, IL, 60607

The year 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of AFRICOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists)—the black artist collective that defined the visual aesthetic of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 70s. In commemoration, Kavi Gupta is pleased to present AFRICOBRA 50, a landmark exhibition of original works by the five founding members of AFRICOBRA—Gerald Williams, Wadsworth Jarrell, Jae Jarrell, Jeff Donaldson, and Barbara Jones-Hogu—as well as a select group of peers who influenced or were influenced by AFRICOBRA, including Basil Kincaid, Carolyn Lawrence, Bernard Williams, Sherman Beck, Shahar Caren Weaver, Robert Paige, and James Phillips.

 

Founded in 1968, the five founding artists sought to gain an understanding of modern, transnational black aesthetics, so they could develop an artistic style that could be immediately identified as “Black Art.” The group had its genesis in the dissolution of a prior collective called the Organization of Black American Culture (OBAC), which was itself formed as a tool for using art to address social and cultural challenges affecting the African American community. OBAC gained national prominence in 1967 when it organized a group of nine artists and nine photographers to collaborate on the creation of The Wall of Respect, a monumental mural painted on the side of a business in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. According to its creators, the mural “depicted ‘Black Heroes’ as positive role models for identity, community formation, and revolutionary action.”

 

Following the completion of the Wall of Respect, some of the artists involved with the project began having casual get-togethers to discuss aesthetics and contemporary black culture. Those early meetings included Jeff Donaldson, Wadsworth Jarrell, Jae Jarrell, Barbara Jones-Hogu and Gerald Williams. Also sometimes present was Robert Paige, in whose home some of the gatherings took place. Over time, five other artists—Nelson Stevens, Napoleon Jones-Henderson, Carolyn Lawrence, Frank Smith, and James Phillips—joined the group.

 

The aesthetic position that grew out of these meetings is defined by the use of text, positive figurative images of black people, abstract patterns evoking African artistic traditions, and bright, luminescent “Kool-Aid colors.”

 

To help disseminate their ideas, the group published a manifesto in 1969, titled “Ten in Search of a Nation,” which outlined three goals they hoped their work would achieve:

 

1.    definition—images that deal with the past
2.    identification—images that relate to the present
3.    direction—images that look into the future

 

Each AFRICOBRA artist then translated these ideas into physical form, and the group exhibited the work in a series of exhibitions that traveled the United States. The work spanned multiple mediums, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and fashion; the exhibitions attracted nationwide attention. By the time AFRICOBRA I reached the Studio Museum in Harlem in the early 1970s, the group’s aesthetic language had caught on like wildfire. During these early exhibitions, AFRICOBRA members noted that many viewers were unable to afford the art. In response, they made posters of their most popular paintings, reiterating their belief that art has to relate to everyday people if it is going to be effective as an impetus for social transformation.

 

Although AFRICOBRA ceased exhibiting together in the 1970s, most members continued in their art careers. Some have since passed away, but many are still active in their studios today. It is at this vital moment in history that we present AFRICOBRA 50 with the hope that it will spark continued interest in this extraordinary group of artists, and expand the larger, international conversation about the Black Arts Movement. The work is critical to our understanding of the contemporary aesthetic of the African diaspora and the examination of how transnational black aesthetics relate to culture, politics, and identity.

 

Concurrent Programming:

 

AFRICOBRA: Chicago in the Age of Black Power panel discussion at EXPO Chicago 


Panelists | Jae Jarrell (Artist, Member of AFRICOBRA, SAIC 1959-61), Wadsworth Jarrell (Artist, Member of AFRICOBRA, SAIC DIP 1958), and Gerald Williams (Artist, Founding Member of AFRICOBRA, SAIC BFA 1951). Moderated by Franklin Sirmans (Director | Pérez Art Museum Miami). This panel is presented in alignment with Art Design Chicago exhibitions at the Smart Museum of Art and the DuSable Museum of African American History, South Side Stories: Rethinking Chicago Art, 1960–1980 and South Side Stories: Holdings, which focus on the Black Arts Movement—from the Civil Rights Movement to AFRICOBRA. A solo exhibition of the late member Barbara Jones Hogu entitled Resist, Relate, Unite 1968–1975 took place at the DePaul Art Museum earlier this year.

 

Friday, September 28 at the /Dialogues Stage at EXPO Chicago (Navy Pier), 2:00-3:00pm.

 

Book Signing | Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power
In the period of radical change that was 1963–83, young black artists at the beginning of their careers confronted difficult questions about art, politics and racial identity. How to make art that would stand as innovative, original, formally and materially complex, while also making work that reflected their concerns and experience as black Americans? Soul of a Nation surveys this crucial period in American art history, bringing to light previously neglected histories of 20th-century black artists—including Sam Gilliam, Melvin Edwards, Jack Whitten, William T. Williams, Howardina Pindell, Barkley L. Hendricks, Senga Nengudi, Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, Charles White (SAIC 1937 – 38) and Frank Bowling, among others. This book explores both the art historical and social contexts, with subjects ranging from black feminism to AFRICOBRA and other artist-run groups, to the role of museums in the debates of the period and visual art’s relation to the Black Arts Movement. Over 170 artworks by these and many other artists of the era are illustrated in full color.

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Works
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Boss Couple, 1970 Acrylic on canvas 36 x 27 1/2 in 91.4 x 69.8 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Boss Couple, 1970
    Acrylic on canvas
    36 x 27 1/2 in
    91.4 x 69.8 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell I Am Better Than Those Motherfuckers and They Know It, 1969 Acrylic on canvas 45 x 37 in 114.3 x 94 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    I Am Better Than Those Motherfuckers and They Know It, 1969
    Acrylic on canvas
    45 x 37 in
    114.3 x 94 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Black Family, 1968 Acrylic on canvas 46 x 36 x 2 in 116.8 x 91.4 x 5.1 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Black Family, 1968
    Acrylic on canvas
    46 x 36 x 2 in
    116.8 x 91.4 x 5.1 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Navaga, 1974 Acrylic on canvas 50 x 24 in 127 x 61 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Navaga, 1974
    Acrylic on canvas
    50 x 24 in
    127 x 61 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Prophecy, 1974 Acrylic on canvas 48 x 85 1/2 in 121.9 x 217.2 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Prophecy, 1974
    Acrylic on canvas
    48 x 85 1/2 in
    121.9 x 217.2 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Study for Wall of Respect, 1967 Gouache 44 x 30 in 111.8 x 76.2 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Study for Wall of Respect, 1967
    Gouache
    44 x 30 in
    111.8 x 76.2 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell At the Races, 1992 Acrylic on paper 26 x 38 in 66 x 96.5 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    At the Races, 1992
    Acrylic on paper
    26 x 38 in
    66 x 96.5 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Homage to a Giant, 1970 Acrylic on board 48 x 90 x 3 in 121.9 x 228.6 x 7.6 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Homage to a Giant, 1970
    Acrylic on board
    48 x 90 x 3 in
    121.9 x 228.6 x 7.6 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Yeah But, Can You Fight?, 1995 Acrylic on canvas, wood 59 x 28 in 149.9 x 71.1 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Yeah But, Can You Fight?, 1995
    Acrylic on canvas, wood
    59 x 28 in
    149.9 x 71.1 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Yeah But, Can You Fight?, 1995 Acrylic on canvas, wood 59 x 28 in 149.9 x 71.1 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Yeah But, Can You Fight?, 1995
    Acrylic on canvas, wood
    59 x 28 in
    149.9 x 71.1 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Yeah But, Can You Fight?, 1995 Acrylic on canvas, wood 59 x 28 Unique series of 3
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Yeah But, Can You Fight?, 1995
    Acrylic on canvas, wood
    59 x 28
    Unique series of 3
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Extolling a Djwoke Headdress, 1993 Acrylic, wood, and canvas 87 x 37 x 17 in 221 x 94 x 43.2 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Extolling a Djwoke Headdress, 1993
    Acrylic, wood, and canvas
    87 x 37 x 17 in
    221 x 94 x 43.2 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Come Sunday, 2014 Acrylic on canvas, wood, and glass Approx. 78 x 60 x 6 in 198.1 x 152.4 x 15.2 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Come Sunday, 2014
    Acrylic on canvas, wood, and glass
    Approx. 78 x 60 x 6 in
    198.1 x 152.4 x 15.2 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Flowers for Lady, 2012 Mixed media 22 x 63 in 55.9 x 160 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Flowers for Lady, 2012
    Mixed media
    22 x 63 in
    55.9 x 160 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Exhalt: For Mama, 1996 Acrylic on canvas 61 x 48 in 154.9 x 121.9 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Exhalt: For Mama, 1996
    Acrylic on canvas
    61 x 48 in
    154.9 x 121.9 cm
  • Jae Jarrell Bird of Paradise Ensemble, Ode to Tie-Dyed Suede, 1993 - c. 2017 Tie dyed suede and acrylic on wood 80 x 20 x 20 in 203.2 x 50.8 x 50.8 cm
    Jae Jarrell
    Bird of Paradise Ensemble, Ode to Tie-Dyed Suede, 1993 - c. 2017
    Tie dyed suede and acrylic on wood
    80 x 20 x 20 in
    203.2 x 50.8 x 50.8 cm
  • Jae Jarrell Jazz Scramble Jacket, 2015 Silkscreened cowhide splits Dimensions variable
    Jae Jarrell
    Jazz Scramble Jacket, 2015
    Silkscreened cowhide splits
    Dimensions variable
  • Jae Jarrell Brothers Surrounding Sis in Ornamented Screen, 2017 Painted wood, antique player piano discs, and photographs 64 x 14 x 14 in 162.6 x 35.6 x 35.6 cm
    Jae Jarrell
    Brothers Surrounding Sis in Ornamented Screen, 2017
    Painted wood, antique player piano discs, and photographs
    64 x 14 x 14 in
    162.6 x 35.6 x 35.6 cm
  • Jae Jarrell Victorian Beads and Glasswork Enscreened, 2017 Mixed media 81 x 21 x 21 in 205.7 x 53.3 x 53.3 cm
    Jae Jarrell
    Victorian Beads and Glasswork Enscreened, 2017
    Mixed media
    81 x 21 x 21 in
    205.7 x 53.3 x 53.3 cm
  • Jae Jarrell Frock You, 1994 Wool, wood, mixed media 73 1/4 x 48 3/8 x 6 in 185.9 x 122.9 x 15.2 cm
    Jae Jarrell
    Frock You, 1994
    Wool, wood, mixed media
    73 1/4 x 48 3/8 x 6 in
    185.9 x 122.9 x 15.2 cm
  • Jae Jarrell Going to NYC, 1994 Mixed media on canvas 53 x 74 in 134.6 x 188 cm
    Jae Jarrell
    Going to NYC, 1994
    Mixed media on canvas
    53 x 74 in
    134.6 x 188 cm
  • Gerald Williams Angela Davis, 1971 Acrylic on panel 50 x 50 x 2 1/2 in 127 x 127 x 6.3 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Angela Davis, 1971
    Acrylic on panel
    50 x 50 x 2 1/2 in
    127 x 127 x 6.3 cm
  • Gerald Williams Family , 1976 Acrylic on canvas 51 x 34 x 1 1/2 in 129.5 x 86.4 x 3.8 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Family , 1976
    Acrylic on canvas
    51 x 34 x 1 1/2 in
    129.5 x 86.4 x 3.8 cm
  • Gerald Williams I Am Somebody, 1969 Acrylic on canvas 48 x 48 in 121.9 x 121.9 cm
    Gerald Williams
    I Am Somebody, 1969
    Acrylic on canvas
    48 x 48 in
    121.9 x 121.9 cm
  • Gerald Williams Malcolm , 1970 Acrylic on canvas 35 x 27 x 2 in 88.9 x 68.6 x 5.1 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Malcolm , 1970
    Acrylic on canvas
    35 x 27 x 2 in
    88.9 x 68.6 x 5.1 cm
  • Gerald Williams Orator, 1969 Acrylic on canvas 33 x 46 x 2 in 83.8 x 116.8 x 5.1 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Orator, 1969
    Acrylic on canvas
    33 x 46 x 2 in
    83.8 x 116.8 x 5.1 cm
  • Gerald Williams Phantasm #1 , 2009 Acrylic on cut wood 17 x 22 x 2 in 43.2 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Phantasm #1 , 2009
    Acrylic on cut wood
    17 x 22 x 2 in
    43.2 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm
  • Gerald Williams Untitled (Black Day Coming Uhuru), 1972 Mixed media drawing on paper 20 x 26 in 50.8 x 66 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Untitled (Black Day Coming Uhuru), 1972
    Mixed media drawing on paper
    20 x 26 in
    50.8 x 66 cm
  • Gerald Williams Untitled, c. 1978 Acrylic on paper 28 x 22 x 2 in 71.1 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Untitled, c. 1978
    Acrylic on paper
    28 x 22 x 2 in
    71.1 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm
  • Gerald Williams Untitled, 1978 Acrylic on paper 28 x 22 x 1 in 71.1 x 55.9 x 2.5 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Untitled, 1978
    Acrylic on paper
    28 x 22 x 1 in
    71.1 x 55.9 x 2.5 cm
  • Gerald Williams Wake Up , 1971 Screenprint on wove paper 42 x 28 in 106.7 x 71.1 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Wake Up , 1971
    Screenprint on wove paper
    42 x 28 in
    106.7 x 71.1 cm
  • Gerald Williams, Continuity #5, 1982
    Gerald Williams, Continuity #5, 1982
  • Gerald Williams Abner & Alleane, 1975 Acrylic on canvas 34 x 31 x 1 in 86.4 x 78.7 x 2.5 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Abner & Alleane, 1975
    Acrylic on canvas
    34 x 31 x 1 in
    86.4 x 78.7 x 2.5 cm
  • Gerald Williams Untitled, 1978 Ink on paper 16 x 20 in 40.6 x 50.8 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Untitled, 1978
    Ink on paper
    16 x 20 in
    40.6 x 50.8 cm
  • Gerald Williams, Untitled, 1978
    Gerald Williams, Untitled, 1978
  • Gerald Williams Untitled, 1978 Ink on paper 16 x 20 in 40.6 x 50.8 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Untitled, 1978
    Ink on paper
    16 x 20 in
    40.6 x 50.8 cm
  • Gerald Williams, , c. 1980
    Gerald Williams, , c. 1980
  • Gerald Williams, Again Comes the Rising Sun, c. 1980
    Gerald Williams, Again Comes the Rising Sun, c. 1980
  • Gerald Williams, The World is Waiting for the Sunrise, c. 1978
    Gerald Williams, The World is Waiting for the Sunrise, c. 1978
  • Gerald Williams Untitled, 2014 Acrylic on canvas 36 x 16 in 91.4 x 40.6 cm
    Gerald Williams
    Untitled, 2014
    Acrylic on canvas
    36 x 16 in
    91.4 x 40.6 cm
  • Jeff Donaldson, Victory in the Valley of Eshu, 1971
    Jeff Donaldson, Victory in the Valley of Eshu, 1971
  • Barbara Jones-Hogu High Priestess, 1971 Screenprint on wove paper 22 x 15 in 55.9 x 38.1 cm
    Barbara Jones-Hogu
    High Priestess, 1971
    Screenprint on wove paper
    22 x 15 in
    55.9 x 38.1 cm
  • Barbara Jones-Hogu Unite, 1971 Screenprint on wove paper 22 x 30 in 55.9 x 76.2 cm
    Barbara Jones-Hogu
    Unite, 1971
    Screenprint on wove paper
    22 x 30 in
    55.9 x 76.2 cm
  • Sherman Beck Ancestors, 2005 Acrylic on canvas 30 x 40 in 76.2 x 101.6 cm
    Sherman Beck
    Ancestors, 2005
    Acrylic on canvas
    30 x 40 in
    76.2 x 101.6 cm
  • Sherman Beck Ancestors, 1998 Oil on canvas 30 x 40 in 76.2 x 101.6 cm
    Sherman Beck
    Ancestors, 1998
    Oil on canvas
    30 x 40 in
    76.2 x 101.6 cm
  • Sherman Beck Sunrise Sunset, 2012/2017 Oil on canvas 40 x 60 in 101.6 x 152.4 cm
    Sherman Beck
    Sunrise Sunset, 2012/2017
    Oil on canvas
    40 x 60 in
    101.6 x 152.4 cm
  • Sherman Beck Then & Now, 1972/2015 Oil on canvas 36 x 24 in 91.4 x 61 cm
    Sherman Beck
    Then & Now, 1972/2015
    Oil on canvas
    36 x 24 in
    91.4 x 61 cm
Installation Views
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Videos
  • Gerald Williams of AfriCOBRA

    Gerald Williams of AfriCOBRA

    Read more
  • Celebrating AFRICOBRA

    Celebrating AFRICOBRA

    Kavi Gupta celebrates the one-year anniversary of AFRICOBRA: Nation Time at the Venice Biennalle Read more
  • EXPO CHICAGO 2018 /Dialogues: AfriCOBRA: Chicago in the Age of Black Power

    EXPO CHICAGO 2018 /Dialogues: AfriCOBRA: Chicago in the Age of Black Power

    Read more
Press
  • Still from a short film directed by Wes Miller from a series that the AAA produced about its collections

    ‘YOUR BODY ITSELF IS ALREADY A PLACE OF POLITICS’: CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS RESPOND TO EIGHT QUESTIONS FROM AFRICOBRA COFOUN

    ARTNEWS, ARTNEWS, April 1, 2019
  • Africobra: 50, Kavi Gupta Gallery, 2018 Photo: John Lusis

    CHICAGO ROUNDUP (EXCERPT)

    Orti Gat, Art Agenda, October 5, 2018
  • Exhibition material, AFRICOBRA: Ten in Search of a Nation, 1970. Museum of the NAtional Center of Afro-American Artists.

    CHICAGO AND THE AGE OF BLACK POWER: AN INTERVIEW WITH AFRICOBRA FOUNDING MEMBER GERALD WILLIAMS

    Vasia Rigou, New City Art, September 6, 2018
  • Gerald Williams, Wake Up, silkscreen (1970)

    GERALD WILLIAMS INTERVIEW

    Rebecca Zorach, Never The Same, November 1, 2011

Related artists

  • Sherman Beck

    Sherman Beck

  • Jeff Donaldson

    Jeff Donaldson

  • Richard Hunt

    Richard Hunt

  • Jae Jarrell

    Jae Jarrell

  • Wadsworth Jarrell

    Wadsworth Jarrell

  • Barbara Jones-Hogu

    Barbara Jones-Hogu

  • Gerald Williams

    Gerald Williams

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