Art in any of its forms is meant for more than aesthetics – it can be a representation of the world we live in. Cal State Long Beach’s art alumnus Kendell Carter’s latest exhibit reflects upon everything from Jim Crow laws to today’s political environment.
Carter is having a solo exhibition at Edward Cella Art + Architecture in Los Angeles until May 6. Carter’s show, “Kendell Carter: Marvel,” is an exhibition filled with cast paintings, sculpture, installation and guided mediation.
Carter has made a commitment to observing and exploring race, gender, history and consumer culture. He manifests this in a studio practice that pushes beyond that of a black artist making art about politics, and toward acknowledging the rapidly integrating the nature of today’s visual culture, according to Artillery Magazine.
“Marvel represents humanity’s possibilities via teamwork and the continued pain caused by separation,” Carter said.
While Carter was putting “Marvel” together, he was not trying to have each piece be its own entity;he wanted them to work together and serve as a whole. He wants the exhibit to have the message filled with language, spirituality and pop culture — which is where the name “Marvel” came from.
“I’d hope [the viewers] would have a heightened state of awareness, and that the awareness will carry over into experience away from the work,” he said.
Carter feels that he is a stronger painter than he was in the past, and feels that he is more in tune with the world than ever before.
“The current socio-political, scientific times are exciting and fertile for making art. The women’s movement in particular marks a shift in paradigm for western culture,” he said.
One of the main pieces that will be displayed is Carter’s “LOVE” painting.
“From installations that evoke the legacy of the Jim Crow era to today, to cast paintings with the word ‘LOVE’ scrawled backwards in graffiti, he orchestrated installations connect scale, form, texture and surface with contemporary socio-cultural realities and historically rooted gestures,” according to CSULB’s art department website.
Carter has been a successful, well-known artist since the late ‘90s and participated in countless shows — both solo and group exhibitions. Such as in the mid-2000s, he had solo shows across the greater L.A. area at places like the Changing Room, Monique Meloche Gallery and Mark Moore Gallery.
“Each [exhibit] offers their own distinct opportunities. I can really flex and be precise with solo shows. Really control context. But group shows present an expanded field to take cultural ph tests amongst my peers,” he said.
Carter’s mother was his muse to start creating art. He says her ego and instincts kept the fire burning, but he says he did not start creating “Art with a capital A” until he received his MFA from CSULB in 2006.
As in any career, the goal is to be successful in something you enjoy doing – Carter wants the same for himself with being an artist.
“[What I hope to gain from this exhibit] is personal growth, influence, power and money,” he said.
On April 8, Carter and Jill Moniz, founder of Transformative Arts and former head curator at the California African American Museum of Los Angeles, will be meeting for a discussion about changing artistic practices and community engagement strategies.
The Marvel exhibit is open Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m to 6 p.m. until the exhibit closes on May 6.