Charles Gaines Explores Identity Politics Through Systematic Portraits at Paula Cooper Gallery
From May 3 to June 9, 2018, Charles Gaines showcased a solo exhibition at the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York City. The display comprised twelve sizable acrylic boxes, each featuring pixelated representations of thinkers and authors, spanning from Aristotle to bell hooks. The portraits were arranged in a numbered grid, with colored squares denoting facial features. Among the highlighted images were W.E.B. Du Bois in red, Malcolm X, and Edward Said in aqua blue. As viewers moved through the exhibit, the overlapping hues obscured individual identities. In a nearby room, preparatory sketches for "Faces 1: Identity Politics" and musical scores from "Manifestos 3" were presented, reinterpreting speeches by Martin Luther King and James Baldwin into musical forms, examining the clash between systematic creation and emotional depth.
Key facts
- Exhibition dates: May 3 to June 9, 2018
- Location: Paula Cooper Gallery, 521 West 21st Street, New York City
- Featured 12 acrylic boxes approximately 6'×5'×6"
- Portraits included Aristotle, W.E.B. Du Bois, Edward Said, Malcolm X, bell hooks
- Grid system with handwritten numbers and letters organized each portrait
- Colors mixed when multiple portraits occupied same grid positions
- Accompanying room showed preparatory drawings and musical scores
- Musical scores translated speeches by Martin Luther King and James Baldwin
Entities
Artists
- Charles Gaines
- Aristotle
- W. E. B. Du Bois
- Edward Said
- Malcolm X
- bell hooks
- Jacques Lacan
- Molefi Kete Asante
- Martin Luther King
- James Baldwin
Institutions
- Paula Cooper Gallery
Locations
- New York City
- United States