University of Oregon
Department of Art Lecture Series
Merging together Hollywood perceptions, history and current events, Brooklyn-based Rico Gatson’s sculptures, videos and paintings are politically and racially charged commentary on the American landscape. From footage of the Watts riots in 1965 to scenes from D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation, racial injustice is navigated in his videos. Gatson’s two-dimensional works are equally as provoking as his video work. Abstractions in color, black or white are actually politically loaded symbols. His sculptural work also depicts symbols of racism and intolerance. The ideology of Gatson’s work is meant to spark dialogue about race and articulate identity politics.
Rico Gatson attended Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Yale School of Art in New Haven, Connecticut. Selected exhibitions include the Santa Monica Museum, Cheekwood Art Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York and Exit Art in New York. He is represented by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts Gallery in New York.
Link- http://ricogatson.com
Image caption- Soulfood, 2011, latex paint on wood panel, 27.25 × 43.25 inches