EYE TO EYE

Catalyst Contemporary presents Eye to Eye, an exhibition showcasing three artists: Christopher Batten, Schroeder Cherry, and James Williams II, whose works participate in or prevent the very act of looking upon African-American male bodies. 

 

The pieces featured in the show highlight the African-American male body and draw attention to our act of looking upon them, and any connotations that the viewer, may bring with them, whether from experience or influenced by the media and society. 

 

Batten’s large scale figure-painting stares back at the viewer calmly holding a box that represents the stereotypes we may place upon them. Cherry’s works welcome us to observe daily rituals and spaces of barber shops; sometimes the sitters gaze back but mostly they invite quiet contemplation. Williams' intimate paintings prevent us from fully gazing at the figures beneath. Instead, the subjects are obscured by flat patches of color and design that only sometimes offer a glimpse of what is beneath. 

 

Eye to Eye seeks to create a space in which the act of looking is invited but also to point out this very action and to place these contemporary artist within the context of art history.