In Lieu Of A Louder Love
An exhibition by Lynette Yiadom Boakye at Jack Shainman Gallery, on view January 10 – February 16, 2019. This London based artist brings such skill to figurative painting, it almost reminds me of the great Caravaggio. The exhibition spans across both Jack Shainman locations on 20th and 24th st, in Chelsea, New York.
The exhibit consists of figurative portraits of fictional individuals, all done in an intense, muted color palette.
Vogue describes her works quite nicely
“Lynette knew that she wanted to make figurative paintings; she wanted to make black people visible and to make that seem normal, not celebratory.” - Vogue
This is one of the most profound quotes I found of hers and a direction for all of culture to try and move towards. While diversity is important, too often it is celebrated when it should just be the norm, and these works are a great reminder to us all of that.
“Most are large-scale, single-figure studies whose faces, set against loosely brushed dark backgrounds, look directly at the viewer. In some, only the whiteness of eyes and teeth pulls them back from near invisibility, but the effort of looking makes them seem all the more real.” - Vogue
“In a moment of racial tension like the one America has been living through, Lynette’s characters take on a completely different weight and presence,” he says. “It’s hard not to feel implicated as a viewer—I can’t help thinking that her imagined characters are engaging with me.” - New Museum’s artistic director, Massimiliano Gioni
Another interesting thing about Lynette is that
“For an artist, she is unusual in describing herself as a writer as much as a painter—her short stories and prosy poems frequently appear in her catalogues.” - The New Yorker
One of her poem’s graces this exhibitions press release (and is the title)
In Lieu Of A Louder Love
In the Shade of Hooded Cove,
In Debt to the Dead Oak.
In Range of a Twelve Gauge,
On Embers over Smoke.
At Pains to Hold the Wanton,
At Home to all who Knock.
At Prayer on Prickly Hearth Rug,
An Eye upon the Clock.
In the Parlance of the Pilgrim,
In Hallelujah Coat and Tie.
In Soul so Black Beguiling,
That the Ravens do Carp and Cry.
In Memory of A Cipher,
At Peace beside resting Dove.
In Light of Care and Kindness,
In Lieu of A Louder Love.
She works in the permanent collections of
The Tate Collection, London
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
the Nasher Museum of Art, North Carolina,
The Museum of Modern Art, New York,
And many more..
If you want to dive deeper and learn more about her, here’s some great press
She’s represented by the following galleries
Corvi-Mora Gallery in London
Jack Shainman Gallery in New York
