Kori Newkirk… What do I know about him? He is African American and he tries to combine ethnical motifs and with his views. He is interested in his origin and examines it, trying to give his ancestors their due. He creates works that are devoted to his family and makes these works modern and expressive. Photos of the members of his family in suspended tires. Seems rather strange? Perhaps… However, it is in these tires that the photos gain some particular meaning and significance. The studio museum of Harlem, which presents his exhibitions, has the common aim with Kori Newkirk to support the development of African American art and to carry down to people the spirit of African American people.
All Newkirk’s works bear an ethnical tinge. It might be because they are created by the person with strong spirit of his past or because his paintings and installations are made of beads, braids, wax or hair pomade. He does not need any sophisticated materials to create a picture that will fill you with energy. Newkirk’s inner energy bursts from his works.
I am looking at his work Jubilee and I see all the power of African American people, their vital energy and their eternal struggle for their freedom. Jubilee is not a painting, it is a curtain, a curtain that is woven from beads and braids, as simple as that. But its message is loud. You can hear it if you only feel the energy of these flame tips licking turquoise sky.
What is his secret? Perhaps it is this combination of modest media and his meaningful and important issues, conveyed due to these media. He presents his view of beauty, of the world around us, of people and their nature. The majority of his works is made of beads and braids, which are used as hair ornaments. This adds to the uniqueness of his works. No complicated subjects and medias, no conglomeration of images. Everything is clear and strict but it strikes.
Another his work of art and another masterpiece. The same materials, the same form, and the same feelings of absolute admiration and absorption into his creation. In The World and the Way Things Are there is just rain falling…falling…falling…cleansing the world… you watch and you understand that no other material and no other form could give this impression. The swinging of the curtain makes you feel and hear rain drops dripping and letting you see the way things are.
Kori Newkirk… there is something particular about him and his works…What is it? I tried to explain, but did I manage to do it? You must feel it. You must see his works and feel the energy of this person, his strength, his talent, his origin…
Works Cited
Altshuler Bruce. Collecting the New: Museums and Contemporary Art. Princeton University Press, 2007.
Simon, Leonard. “Kori Newkirk”. Gallery. 23 March, 2008. http://www.janm.org/exhibits/ffs/gallery/newkirk/newkirk.html
Current Exhibitions. The Studio Museum in Harlem. 23 March, 2008 http://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibitions_new.html
Kori Newkirk. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. 23 March, 2008 http://www.fabricworkshop.org/exhibitions/kori_newkirk.php
Simon, Leonard. “Kori Newkirk”. Gallery. 23 March, 2008. http://www.janm.org/exhibits/ffs/gallery/newkirk/newkirk.html
Current Exhibitions. The Studio Museum in Harlem. 23 March, 2008 http://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibitions_new.html
Kori Newkirk. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. 23 March, 2008 http://www.fabricworkshop.org/exhibitions/kori_newkirk.php
