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In our upcoming Fall 2023 Quarterly, Jux contributor Charles Moore sits down with Xavier Daniels for a particular dialog. Within the meantime, we wished to share Moore’s essay on Daniels work, on the event of his solo present at Almine Rech in Shanghai.
Atlanta, Georgia-based artist Xavier Daniels implores viewers to contemplate what life may seem like with out the biases and assumptions that maintain them again. In his Shanghai present Absence of Gravity, on view at Almine Rech Shanghai by means of August twelfth, the artist examines what it means for Black males to flee the confines of stereotypes and turn out to be their freest selves. Self-agency, brotherhood, and vulnerability are central themes of the exhibition.
The idea of gravity performs an equally central position. The place gravity weighs an individual down, the absence of this elementary interplay permits Black males to contemplate a lifetime of boundless risk. To uncover what it means to reside with out gravity, Daniels has accomplished a dozen-some works that create an area of openness and development, showcasing African folklore-inspired items that depict males’s psychological well being. His painted Black male figures, like these featured in his 2022 exhibition Ties that Bind, encourage dialogue surrounding stereotypes and emotionality.
Themes of flight are prevalent within the works. The artist quotes Toni Morrison, citing, “Give up to the air. You possibly can experience it.” Daniels explains that the wings and feathers of a chook are designed in a particular form often called an aero foil, which forces the air to maneuver quicker excessive than beneath. Because of this, birds have the choice to easily glide midflight—and these birds function a metaphor for Black males residing with out the gravity of stereotypes. To take issues a step additional, Daniels reinforces the affect of the male gaze in his works: an assertion of id and presence, bringing to mild an individual’s charisma and individuality. In Absence of Gravity, Daniels creates an area of honesty and development, revealing that Black males can obtain the very best type of freedom—the flexibility to be their truest selves. Recognized for his male topics’ gently painted Black pores and skin, Daniels instills in his figures a way of buoyance: birdlike and free. Divergent masculinities, shades of sunshine, “Black boy pleasure”: Daniels crafts his topics with army exactness. His half-portraits symbolize psychological well being, revealing how a Black man won’t really feel solely complete with out the liberty of self-expression. Impressed by the form of African masks—as an example, a Pende deformity masks by which the face is bisected into black and white halves—the artist experiments with what it means to reside below a façade.
Colour symbolism is integral. Usually, Daniels blends purple and grey, the latter symbolizing sophistication and intelligence. The previous is devotional and mysterious, an emblem of royalty, uplifting the general public whereas conveying respect. Purple dye, as soon as price greater than its weight in gold, was beforehand one thing solely a royal household might afford; on this approach, it gives an escape from actuality—exuding self-knowledge and acknowledging a deeper understanding of an individual’s inside life. Darkish and wealthy, the artist believes the colour helps to liberate and enlighten his Black male topics, additional permitting them to take flight. His use of white paint represents a further Biblical shade symbolic of innocence, purity, and redemption. This paint choice highlights an overarching sense of vulnerability, inviting all Black males to anchor themselves in freedom. Traces of burgundy, in the meantime, level to dignity and transformation.
The artist’s compositions are a visible puzzle. Most seem to maneuver past the confines of the canvas; a determine may leap or float, soar or pull, outdoors of the canvas body. Heads and our bodies twist, and so Daniels permits his topics to maneuver in a way that resists gravity. Daniels crafts every portray with cautious precision—specializing in shapes, and leveraging geometry to visually remedy issues, restoring steadiness when wanted.
Damaging area is important to the artist’s course of: intricate posing, inverted faces, and semi-crafted figures depart the total image to the creativeness. A former firefighter, it was the sound of emergency sirens that made Daniels notice that ambiguity—unfavourable area and people elements of the canvas left to the creativeness—is simply as impactful because the extra easy points of his work. This ambiguity offers the viewer the identical sense of company because the artist’s topics, permitting them to make their very own selections. All through Absence of Gravity, Daniels underscores the facility of freedom—particularly, the liberty of the self. But in every work, the artist asks the viewer to contemplate whether or not they’re taking a look at a masks or an actual particular person. Is the topic residing with or with out gravity? Leveraging jagged, angular traces not not like these Picasso utilized in Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), Daniels pays homage to the structural readability, expressive depth, and fragmentation of African artwork. The viewer received’t need to look away. — Charles Moore, author, curator, and artwork historian
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