A Chance Encounter
November 21, 2020 - January 24, 2020
Parts & Labor Beacon is pleased to announce A Chance Encounter, an exhibition curated by artist Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, opening Saturday, November 21, 12 – 6 pm.
Nineteenth and twentieth century artworks created in West Africa, that might otherwise be seen behind glass in museums, accessibly interact – “breathing the same air” as Adeniyi-Jones describes – with works by twelve contemporary artists who have absorbed their aesthetic. Works by Derrick Adams, Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Radcliffe Bailey, Layo Bright, Nick Cave, John Edmonds, Lyle Ashton Harris, Alex Jackson, Alison Saar, Chiffon Thomas, Timothy Washington, and Rachel Eulena Williams represent a range of responses to traditional African sculpture from the Guinea Coast, reflecting its visual and psychic contributions to the vocabulary of contemporary art in the West and, more specifically, its impact on diasporic communities.
Adeniyi-Jones elaborates on his artistic practice and intentions behind curating this collaborative exhibition:
My practice largely involves examining my relationship with these objects. I have encountered them domestically both at home in London and at home in Lagos. But I have also, more frequently, come across them in museum settings. These objects have had such a profound impact on art history and broader culture throughout the 20th century right up to our present moment. And today much conversation is had about the origin of these objects, and the ethics involved with them being taken and kept in museum collections in the first place. I think that's an important conversation, and I want this show to address it too. Something along the lines of, "Yes, these stolen objects should be returned without debate. So let's take a moment to enjoy the impact they've had on these burgeoning studio practices. Their frequent trade and transit have not been in vain.”
Tunji Adeniyi-Jones (b. 1992, London, UK) is known for his figurative paintings inspired by West African history, mythology, and his own Yoruba heritage. He earned his BFA from Oxford University in 2014, and his MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University in 2017. Adeniyi-Jones has shown extensively, including recent solo exhibitions: Patterns and Rituals, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York, NY (2019-20); Works on Paper, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York, NY (2019); Dreams Through Seasons: New Paintings, The Cabin, Los Angeles, CA (2018); and A Place to Belong, Hunter Harrison, London, UK (2018). Recent group exhibitions include: Forms of Life, Morán Morán, Los Angeles, CA (2020); Dakar Biennial, Dakar, SN (2020); The 100 Show, Loyal Gallery, Stockholm, SE (2020); BLACK VOICES / BLACK MICROCOSM, CF HILL, Stockholm, SE (2020); All of them Witches, curated by Laurie Simmons and Dan Nadel, Deitch Projects, Los Angeles, CA (2020); The Barn Show, Johannes Vogt Gallery, East Hampton, NY (2019); Go Figure!, curated by Beth Rudin DeWoody, Eric Firestone, East Hampton, NY (2019); and Young, Gifted, and Black: The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection, curated by Antwaun Sargent and Matt Wycoff, OSilas Gallery at Concordia College, Bronxville, NY (2019) and Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY (2020), which is scheduled to travel to Gallery 400 at the University of Illinois, Chicago; Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA; and the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California, Davis. Adeniyi-Jones’ work is included in the permanent collection of the Dallas Museum of Art, TX. In 2020, Adeniyi-Jones was selected for Kehinde Wiley’s Black Rock residency in Dakar, SN.
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Parts & Labor Beacon wishes to thank the following for their collegial and energetic assistance with this exhibition: Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, CANADA, Company Gallery, LA Louver, Amyas Naegele, Salon 94, and Jack Shainman.
A Chance Encounter opens on Saturday, November 21, and will remain on view through Sunday, January 24, 2021. Gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday from 12-6 pm, by appointment. Appointments may be made by texting or calling (413)-687-9449.
For images, biographies, and further information, please contact the gallery at [email protected].