Opening Thursday, April 1, 2021 5-8pm. A King’s Path, curated by Kimisha Turner

“A King’s Path” 
Curated by Kimisha Turner
4/1-5/2/2021

“A King’s Path” is a show highlighting Black Men and Black Fathers, their influence and importance, and aims to dismantle preconceived notions created by society that does nothing but undermine and harm their existence. What does it mean to be a Black man, father, brother, friend? What are the stereotypes you face and overcome if you happen to be one? A Black Man and a Black Father’s important role in the community and family as well as their contributions to society often go overlooked, taken for granted or get co-opted by the world at large and it’s time to acknowledge and uplift them as the Kings they are. 

barry johnson is a self-taught interdisciplinary artist whose work explores race, community and culture. He’s held residencies throughout the Puget Sound region, Hawaii, Tulum and Argentina. barry recently authored and illustrated a children’s book titled, Oh What Wonderful hair. barry’s work has been shown and collected around the world ranging in mediums and sizes. He’s also created multiple permanent works across King and Pierce County.

barry has also spoken at a TEDx event in Seattle about the power of creating multiple personas to aid you in your career. He has received multiple grants and awards including the Edwin T. Pratt Award, smART Ventures award, the 2018 GAP Award and he was a finalist for the Conductive Garboil Grant in 2018. barry is currently going to school to be an architect and lives in Federal Way. 
Barry Johnson: www.barryjohnson.co, @barryjohnson.co

Perry Porter, a contemporary painter, muralist and songwriter from Tacoma, WA. Mainly using watercolor (Acrylic for canvas and mural work), Perry’s work is known for emphasizing the aesthetics “Black Boy Joy & Black Girl Magic”, Porter work deals with the documentation of modern events and the question of how they can be represented in real time. Blurring the lines of abstract movement and recognizable human forms – the results are deconstructed to the extent that meaning is shifted and possible interpretation becomes multifaceted. His work questions the conditions of appearance of one’s own image in the context of contemporary culture; in which images, representations and ideas normally seem to function. By applying a poetic and often metaphorical language, he touches various overlapping themes and strategies. Several recurring subject matters can be recognized, such as the relation with popular culture and media, working with repetition, provocation and the investigation of the process of expectations. www.perrypaints.com, PayPal: Perrypaintsmusic@gmail.com,  
CashApp: PerryPorter 

Seattle based artist, Moses Sun, creates analog, digital, and mixed media art. Sun draws much of his inspiration from his southern upbringing along with Black, African, Asian, and Latinx diasporas. He blends these influences into abstract meditative constellations of movement expressed on paper, wood, and large-scale murals. Sun’s work has been shown in both solo and group shows in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle. His work expresses blackness across multiple media platforms, laying bare his personal history, and humanity. He makes drawings on paper and iPad, digital and analogue photographs, sculpture, and installations, then samples them and in the hip-hop ethos of “grinding,” output them as relief sculptures, digital prints, video animations, games, and social media apps. He works intuitively, letting go of pretense so that the story reveals to the viewer an entry point, a beginning but never an end. Moses Sun:   www.mosessun.studio, @moses_sun 

Yeggy Michael is a Seattle visual artist whose public art also adorns public places. His work has been widely exhibited throughout Africa, Europe, and the United States. Yeggy’s vision is to provoke questions about natural cycles, provide a sense of place, and reflect on the movement of time. Yeggy’s lofty compositions are often the result of contemplative explorations that go far beyond his mind and deep within, where his emotions await the moment of their expression.

Currently, Yeggy is the Art Program Director at Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA), a nonprofit community organization. He is active in the communities organizing art programs and activities for Seattle youth. www.yeggystudio.com, Facebook @yeggymichael, Instagram @yeggymichael

Adam Jabari creates melanin-rich meditations through photographic arts. He was born in Chicago and raised by a village. Jabari is the beaming baba to one beautiful toddler.
Founder & Director | PhotOrganic Studio MadeByPOC | AdamJabari.com,  IG: @madebypoc,  @ase.asana & @adamjabari

Benji Anderson is an artist, theologian and philosopher. Three identities that suffered separate existences for much of Benji’s life. Born in the South and raised in the Mid West, his early cultural learnings taught Benji that it was not only prudent, but necessary to compartmentalize his identities. Surprisingly it was through his academic journey that Benji began to fully exist as a being capable of complex, and seemingly contradictory identity. As a Master of Divinity student, Benji embarked on a process of deep self-excavation, which, upon completion of his degree, provided Benji with the license to live authentically. 

As theologian and philosopher, Benji is concerned with the quality and depth of life. As artist, Benji concerns himself with the creative expression of his theosophical existence. Using a variety of mediums Benji endeavors to create multi-sensory pieces that thrust the viewer into the experience of the artist – not simply as a voyeur, but as a participant. Venmo: @Benji-Anderson-4

Category: Art