This episode features artist Jared Owens in conversation about his work "Shadowboxing #3" (2022).

Jared Owens, a descendant of three generations of Harlemites, was born and raised in Rockland County, New York. Owens was encouraged towards the arts at a young age due to his family's collection of art objects and his public school's art program. Through a variety of media including painting, sculpture, and installation, Owens explores and makes visible the structures of confinement within our society, among many other themes. The painting in our collection, Shadowboxing #3, evidences Owens's use of a hand-crafted stamp based on the Brooks diagram, which is arguably the most circulated image associated with the slave trade in its abolition.

https://www.studiomuseum.org/artworks/shadowboxing-3

This episode features artist Cassi Namoda in conversation about her work "Landscape with child crossing the Styx" (2021). Namoda combines personal memories and art historical references to create rich visual narratives in her paintings. In this episode we are also joined by our fall 2024 curatorial intern Tarik Brown.

Originally from Mozambique, Namoda spent much of her childhood and adolescence living in several countries within and outside of Africa. She would often draw and record her observations during travels, laying the foundation for her artistic practice. Namoda went on to study cinematography, and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where she began to paint scenes from her upbringing. Namoda's peripatetic lifestyle, along with a sustained curiosity for history, has informed her ability to reference folklore, art history, mythology, and colonial structures in her practice.

https://www.studiomuseum.org/artists/cassi-namoda
https://www.studiomuseum.org/artworks/landscape-with-child-crossing-the-styx

This episode features artist Derek Fordjour in conversation about his work "Fly Away" (2020). Derek Fordjour’s paintings, sculptures, and installations render the fraught complexities of the Black American experience.

Born to Ghanaian immigrant parents in Memphis, Fordjour’s creative aptitude was present from a young age, though his path to artistry took a circuitous route. After briefly attending Pratt Institute, Fordjour took a break from his art education before attending and graduating from Morehouse College, Harvard University, and Hunter College. Fordjour’s artwork is layered with textures and intricate details. His themes include the tension between invisibility and hypervisibility, the expectations and spectacle of Black athletes, and the under-told narratives of Black performers and magicians.

https://www.studiomuseum.org/artists/derek-fordjour