andre barker at m contemporary art
Glimpse of Us
“I am an Afro-Surrealist who uses figurative painting to visually represent the poetic weirdness of the Black experience in the United States by telling Black stories—my story. I do this by featuring Black and Brown people in iconic works that we have historically been excluded from. My goal is to capture a feeling in my paintings through the use of color, expression, and dramatic lighting to continue the conversation about the change our society desperately needs. The word that describes my practice is persistence. This word has continuously inspired me to move forward and perfect my craft.” –Andre Barker
Employing chiaroscuro developed by da Vinci and mastered by Caravaggio, Barker effectively creates dramatically allegorical arrangements. You See Me describes living with microaggression through a WASP lingering in the uncomfortable space between the sunglasses and skin. Swarms of wasps are reflected in the lenses while the subject necessarily remains calm.
The paint is acrylic but achieves an oil-like sheen through added medium lending a desired Renaissance feel. It’s Just Hair aligns the curse of Blackness with Medusa’s curse while equaling fierce determination confronting the audience, “I’m still here!”
Writings of Amir is an autobiographical adaption of Caravaggio’s The Calling of St. Matthew. This seemingly passive scene is loaded with symbolism describing Barker’s experience with isolation and racism as the only Black student in his classes at Columbia College Chicago. Barker goes into detail on his narrative as well as technique in the video interview below.
Blindfolded and set off center on a deep aubergine background, Witness Me embodies Barker’s intent to ‘capture a feeling of the poetic weirdness of the Black experience’.
Stark contrast between light and heavily veiled shadow illustrates the weight of the highly expressive subject matter. Shy of photorealism, the paintings’ powerful storytelling is softened just enough to encourage the viewer to explore Barker’s consequential messaging.
Video Interview with Andre Barker
I fortuitously wandered into M Contemporary a few minutes before Andre who graciously agreed to have a conversation about the inspiration and messaging in his work.