Afrology
Opened February 22, 2008
Essex Gallery Gallery
27 1/2 Essex Steet, New York
1 (917) 447 4028
Written by Mindy Hyman
Opposite Photo: Homeless
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“An
African American Experience Through Graffiti Art”
Afrology is a
solo art show by legendary New York City graffiti
artist James Top. Top uses spray paint and mixed
media on canvas to interpret the experience of African
Americans in the U.S. today. Top uses the politicized
hairstyle statement of the afro as a recurring theme
in each of his works. Through topics such as politics,
sports, music, health, and the media, Top explores
the history, the current experience, and the future
of Blacks in America.
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| Basketball |
Hollywood |
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| Dealers |
Gangsta |
Each piece at the Essex Street
Gallery is grounds for discussion on the political
and social ramifications of the African American
Experience. The topics range from sneakers to African
Americans in Hollywood to hip hop in Brooklyn. Some
of the most prolific pieces to the writer of this
article were Homeless, Profits
and Dealers.
In Homeless, Top urges
his audience to acknowledge the fact that most of
the homeless in New York City are African Americans.
The piece is made up of photographs of homeless
men and women on the streets of New York. Profits
is a collage of pictures of gasoline companies and
the oil industry. Perhaps Top seeks to call attention
to the fact that African Americans are affected
by the international politics of the oil industry
just as is the rest of America. Dealers
is a collage of pictures depicting multiple pharmaceutical
companies. This evocative piece satirically claims
that the participants in the pharmaceutical industry
are criminals just like drug dealers on the streets
of Harlem.
Afrology gets the audience
to take a step back from their daily lives, to reflect
on the Black Experience, and to appreciate it from
this artist’s point of view.
For more information, log onto:
www.ewww.essexstreetgallery.comssexstreetgallery.com
& http://thehypemagazine.blogspot.com/2008/02/afrology-debuts-at-essex-street-gallery.html
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