
John Barnes New Orleans, b. 1971
Scion I, 2020
Discarded commercial wood and roofing tar
11 1/2 x 8 x 2 1/2 in
29.2 x 20.3 x 6.3 cm
29.2 x 20.3 x 6.3 cm
These works are figurative hybrid forms. They combine skyline horizons with aerial patterns of urban centers and human figures. The figures are representations of a Patriarchal black family legacy featuring...
These works are figurative hybrid forms. They combine skyline horizons with aerial patterns of urban centers and human figures. The figures are representations of a Patriarchal black family legacy featuring the Progenitor (father) and his descendants (scions). These commercial urban centers tend to be surrounded by or exist in close juxtaposition to mostly black inner-city communities. Although these communities are often disenfranchised socially and economically, the inhabitants find their identities within the complex horizon shaped by an endless architectural orchestration of square forms or dwellings. These works attempt to commemorate the struggle of the ever present, yet invisible "others" to "fit" into these landscapes.