barry johnson // becoming

On view July 18–August 23, 2021
Artist reception Sunday, August 8 (1–3pm), RSVP HERE

Washington-based artist barry johnson joins Nationale for his first exhibition with the gallery, presenting a new body of work that explores a deep investment in his cultural heritage. Becoming was created with a heavy emphasis on stylistic portraiture meant to combat the overarching absence and erasure of Black figures throughout time. Noting how canonical Western history has obscured and annulled Black history, johnson’s work echoes this deletion only to reclaim that very same space. Initially drawn to johnson’s colossal series, Between the Sheets—where he painted one portrait a day for each day of quarantine—Nationale is pleased to present those studies with strength in numbers within the secure covers of johnson's notebooks. Additionally, johnson’s larger paintings harness a similar documentation of legacy within the walls of the gallery. Because they are best experienced as a singular unit, johnson displays six of these journals creating a documented archive of his quarantine practice. In tandem, he has created ten small portraits that are presented gridded on one wall, as well as five larger figurative works. The dramatic mirroring between these hand-held portraits and johnson’s more macroscopic works comprises the collection envisioned for this exhibition.

Each of the larger works was created with simple latex paint and bears witness to johnson’s unique range of technique. Elements of collage, stoic faces and partially obstructed figures are emblazoned by bold strokes, shapes, and colors that imbues each of his characters with zeal and strength. A figure standing in front of an open window locking eyes with the viewer holds the same weight as the figure whose body in profile, sans face, is all we see of them. Rich backgrounds of deep red and soft pinks carry the weight of the individual personalities of the people portrayed. The duality between the sober expressions of the figures and the vivacity of the canvases is the artist’s pointed reminder to the audience that the contributions of artists of color are vast and yet rarely acknowledged. johnson addresses this inequality and he and his figures alike demand better. As tangible, personal investments to right a flawed narrative, each of the works presented here evoke their own energetic tenor and give comment to the mental trauma in dealing with the effects of an ever intolerant and racist society.

barry johnson (b. Topeka, KS / lives in Federal Way, WA) is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores race, community, and culture. He has received multiple grants and awards, including the Edwin T. Pratt Award, smART Ventures award, the 2018 GAP Award, and was a finalist for the Conductive Garboil Grant as well as the Neddy Award. His work has been shown and collected around the world, and he has created multiple permanent public art works regionally, including for a recent Open Arts Residency at Facebook and on the Midtown Building in Seattle, WA.

PRESS & MORE
VizArts Monthly, Featured Exhibition, Lindsay Costello, Oregon ArtsWatch (July 28, 2021)
Featured Exhibition, Rosemarie Stein, The Oregonian (August 5, 2021)

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