Andrea Reed: Sweet Struggle

October 27 – December 2

Reception: November 8, 2nd Thursday Art Night 6-8pm

Gallery Talk: 7pm during reception

 

View the Gallery Talk (Lecture and Discussion) here

You may need to download Quicktime. Video may take up to 10 minutes to load.

Full size DVD available.

 

This racially-charged exhibition features the large format diptych color photographs of California artist Andrea Reed. Her work explores the dichotomy of reality vs. perception and persecution using the historical reference of blackface. She approaches this difficult subject matter on her own terms by using those around her as her subjects. Reed’s exhibition in Target Gallery is the result of her proposal being selected for this year’s highly competitive Open Exhibition spot. Each year, the gallery puts out a national call for exhibition proposals which are reviewed and judged by an outside juror panel for a chance at a solo exhibition.

Emerging artist confronts difficult issues plaguing contemporary African-American society

The Target Gallery, national exhibition space of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, is excited to present our annual Open Exhibition winner, Andrea Ellen Reed’s solo exhibition, Sweet Struggle. This racially-charged exhibition features the large format diptych color photographs of California artist Andrea Ellen Reed. Her work explores the dichotomy of reality vs. perception and persecution using the historical reference of blackface.  She approaches this difficult subject matter on her own terms by using those around her as her subjects. Reed’s exhibition in the Target Gallery is the result of her proposal being selected for this year’s highly competitive Open Exhibition spot. Each year, the gallery puts out a national call for exhibition proposals which are reviewed and judged by an outside juror panel for a chance at a solo exhibition.   The exhibition opens on Saturday, October 27 with a reception to meet the artist and hear her speak about her work on Thursday, November 8 at 7pm during Second Thursday Art Night.  The exhibition will run through December 2.

In the artist’s exhibition proposal,  she proposed to create 10 large scale photographic diptychs of portraits of contemporary African-Americans wearing blackface to address the following issues plaguing the growth of black society in America: 1) Destruction of the nuclear family 2) Senseless violence 3)Destructive body image 4) Indifference 5) Lack of Education 6) Accumulation of depreciating wealth. Reed’s subjects, although wearing blackface costume makeup that was meant for performers, all have confrontational expressions, stark, intense and or passive. This is to give validation to the subject and not the ‘face’ they are wearing.

She writes in her artist statement that Sweet Struggle is a photographic examination of African-American identity in America and the negative effects of racism on our psyche and community.  Since racism so intimately targets our visual senses, the artist is targeting racism and its effects on present-day African-American society by painting blackface on the faces of contemporary citizens of the black community to communicate the effects that racism has had on past and present generations of blacks in America.

Andrea Reed received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Howard University in Washington DC in 2003; and received her Masters of Fine Art in photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA in 2007. This emerging artist has already been winning awards for her series, Sweet Struggle; however, the Target Gallery will be the first venue for her to have a solo exhibition of the series in its entirety.   She is currently residing in San Francisco.

The reception for the artist will be held during Second Thursday Art Night on November 8 from 6-8pm and the artist will be providing a gallery talk discussing her work at 7pm. The entire exhibition will be online by October 27 at www.torpedofactory.org (just click on Target Gallery and go to current show).  The gallery, the national exhibition space of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, strives to promote high standards of art by continuously exploring new ideas through the visual media in a schedule of national and international exhibitions.