In Between the World and Me (2015), Ta-Nehisi Coates writes, “The entire narrative of this country argues against the truth of who you are.” This two-edged sword of truth was unapologetically visible in the “Kangs” exhibition at Band of Vices, which includes four artists: Andrew Gray, Idris Habib, Tommy Mitchell, and Khari Turner.

Upon entering the gallery, one cannot help but notice the strategically placed candles with writing on the side stating Stop Killing Us. They are on the floor in the vicinity of the art. Being hypnotized by the works in this space triggered visceral social media memories of George Floyd calling for his mother in the last eight minutes and forty-six seconds of his life as the police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck in late May 2020 killing him. My eyes even heard remixed versions of Nina Simone’s Mississippi Goddam (1964) and Just Because (1970) by the Last Poets.

Idris Habib, Human, (2020). 62″ x 34.” Image courtesy of Band of Vices.

Idris Habib’s acrylic and pencil portrait of a Black male painted over an American Flag, Human (2020), stares without smiling.  The appropriation of lettering on the bottom of the image pierces the eyes through the inscription, I am Human, with the painted in black word, man, crossed out in red and Hu in blood-red dripping. The intentional semiotic wordplay with Hue (color) and Hu assaults de-Humanizing excuses expressed in a systemic racist law enforcement culture that says, “shoot to kill if they Black.” Habib’s juxtaposition of the American flag with a Black male correlates to such 1960s and 1970s Black Arts Movement predecessors as Faith Ringgold’s The Flag is Bleeding (1967), David Hammon’s Injustice Case (1970), and Dana Chandler’s Land of the Free series (1967). Moreover, a careful gaze in these smile-less eyes calls remembrance of the brutal police shootings of Breonna Taylor (2020) and Tyisha Miller (1998).

Skillful mastery of the female portrait using a ballpoint pen with acrylic on paper mounted on panel is what captured my attention in Tommy Mitchell’s Where You Come From? (2020). The eyes in this work speak of uninterrupted hope and optimistic questioning. With curving protective green plant leaves rendered near the front and back of the image along with drawn gold jewelry adorned hands near the face, a message of unity with nature, royalty, and preciousness resonates. In fact, all of Mitchell’s portraits seep a message that Black Lives Matter.

Andrew Gray, Sunday-Drinker, (2020). Acrylic on wood panel, 40″ x 40″. Image courtesy of Band of Vices.

Finally, the works of Khari Turner and Andrew Gray exhibit technical excellence regarding composition and mastery of figurative interpretation in Surrealistic style correlating to the paintings of Hughie Lee-Smith. For example, in Sunday Drinker (2020), Gray’s acrylic on wood panel image of a young suited brotha standing in front of a table of wine bottles with a drink in one hand and the other pointing to the side inspires a myriad of questions. Where is he pointing? Why the lack of expression? Additionally, the blocks of glazed earth tones and cool colors modeling the face gives it a mask-double exposure appearance as though one can hear him thinking aloud the poem, We Wear the Mask ( 1896) by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The expressionless face and dreamscape background are paradoxical, connecting to such Lee-Smith’s works as Boy with a Tire (1952) and Man with Balloon (1975).

Khari Turner, I want someone to love me hardest when I least deserve it, (2020).
Acrylic, Oil, Ink, Charcoal, Ocean water, Water from the southernmost point of Manhattan on watercolor paper.63″ x 42″. Image courtesy of Band of Vices.

Similarly, Turner’s works, by using acrylic, oil, ink, and ocean water on watercolor paper as a medium to interpret the figure abstractly takes the viewer on an illusionary journey. His work, I want someone to love me hardest when I least deserve it ( 2020) portrays a young Black male standing with head tilted, arms at side, and the face is washed away in blue-gray strokes with only the nose and mouth rendered expressionless. A person is standing innocently rather than a threatening figment of someone’s imagination.

Ultimately, these visual griots interrogate paradigms that blindly justify white supremacy and police brutality manifested in the killing of Black people. Like the creative disturbance of the Black Arts movement of over five decades ago, “Kangs” has an aesthetic vaccine for today’s racial pandemic- if one is willing to take it.

“Kangs”
November 14 -December 12, 2020 
Band of Vices
5376 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016