If It Don't Fit
(LaToya Ruby Frazier, Ricky Day, Bernard Lumpkin, Jeanie Riddle and Kalup Linzy)
On Wednesday night i stepped out to support my new friend and one of my favorite artists Kalup Linzy on the occasion of The Studio Museum in Harlem's survey of his work called "If It Don't Fit." The show is incredible, as is the museum's other current exhibition called "Collected. Propositions on the Permanent Collection."
Afterwards there was a great after party in Kalup's honor hosted by Bernard Lumpkin and Carmine D Boccuzzi. Bernard and Carmine have a beautiful home and a great collection of art. they were also very gracious hosts. Thanks to both of you for hosting such a great event and welcoming us into your home.
(LaToya Ruby Frazier and Kalup Linzy)
(Tyrus Townsend, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Ricky Day)
(Bernard Lumpkin, Jeanie Riddle and Kalup Linzy)
(Tyrus Townsend, Malik So Chic and Ricky Day)
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Kalup Linzy: If it Don’t Fit is the first museum survey of the artist’s work, and includes approximately twenty videos made over the last seven years, a drawing suite and a one-night acoustic performance. From his original take on the soap opera and family drama to his foul-mouthed music videos and filmic shorts, this compilation tracks the artist’s range and cast of characters. The title, If it Don’t Fit, is appropriated from a song Linzy used in a recent video, and evokes his exploration of the emotional realities of aspiration, disappointment, sexuality and belonging.
Linzy first presented his motley crew of characters at the Studio Museum in African Queen (2005), and then again in Frequency (2005), a group exhibition of emerging artists. Since then, he has continued to draw on the formal qualities of a variety of American performance genres: the thorny humor of minstrelsy and sketch comedy; the innuendo of prewar blues and hokum; the hyperbole of early cinema and soap opera; and the slickness of popular culture, house music and the gay ball and club scenes.
The video component of If it Don’t Fit is organized into three hour-long programs, on view throughout the duration of the exhibition. Each highlights a recurring theme in Linzy’s work. Taking its point of departure from the artist’s ongoing negotiation of love, longing and loss, The Pursuit of Happyness features both narrative and music videos. Da Churen brings together works from the artist’s iconic “Churen” (2003-05) series, which traces a set of family archetypes, narrated over a series of phone calls. Finally, Ride to Da (Art) Club juxtaposes videos that self-reflexively take on issues of ambition and belonging in the contemporary art world as well as the pop music and club scene.
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Collected. Propositions on the Permanent Collection presents fourteen takes on the permanent collection of The Studio Museum in Harlem. This set of exhibitions, which includes over two hundred works in a wide range of media, is intended to give multiple perspectives and views on the art of which this Museum is so proud to be the guardian. While a chronological approach allows us to understand how art develops over time and a thematic one helps us to see the relationships between artists, this set of exhibitions takes, in some cases, idiosyncratic approaches to investigating, presenting and analyzing the works of art that the Museum has collected over the last forty years.
Founded in 1968, the Studio Museum began with a mission to present the work of African-American artists and artifacts of the African diaspora. In the Museum’s early history the mandate to collect was strong, with the idea that for the Studio Museum to have a place in the museum world it had to establish a permanent collection. The Museum was very fortunate to have the vision of the founding directors and curators, as well as the generosity of many artists and donors, with which to begin a collection that documents the achievements of artists of African descent.
Over the years there has also been a strategic focus on acquiring works by artists in our exhibitions and from our Artist-in-Residence program. Collected is significant because it charts this history of the Museum. It is an important record of our mission, from New Additions: Recently Acquired Works on Paper, which takes a sweeping look at prints, photographs, collages and drawings new to our collection; to A Family Affair, which looks at the conscious and coincidental relationships between artists who share not only love of art, but also family bonds; to the Highlight sections, each of which focuses on a singular artist or work of art, allowing an in-depth investigation of its subject and how the work relates to the collection.
Organized by the curatorial team, Collected gives us an opportunity for reflection on the great treasures that we steward, and we hope it will prompt a wonderful discussion about art made now and history as seen through the works. Also, it is always wonderful to present works that are not permanently on view. We hope that long-time friends of the Museum will see some old favorites. And we hope that those new to the Museum will see works that will make you want to continue to visit in the years to come. Throughout the Museum’s history we have proudly shown the collection and have been honored to loan works around the country and the world. We are thrilled that at this moment we can highlight our collection and prompt a new era of exploration and presentation.
For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net