We've noted that the collage form--nothing new in the history of black visual culture--has in the past several years staged a resurgence on the international scene. And we see artists invigorating collage with meaning, using it the way old school hip-hop djs practiced their craft; by sampling those images they know will have emotional resonance, and having, oh say, Amiri Baraka do the captions.
That would be collage artist Theodore Harris. One thing Harris is able to do very well is put into image what so many feel about the current political state of affairs. From images of Capitol Hill turned upside down, to collaged photos of an ak-47 pointed at Muhammad Ali, the Philadelphia-based artist doesn't hold a damn thing back. The result is that he is not type of artist that will be embraced by everyone, even those left-leaning individuals who swear by The Daily Show. There is no notion of objectivity in his work, it's all from a skew-embraced perspective, an anti-propaganda rhetoric that is both powerful and prophetic. Those of you in Atlanta have a chance to check this man's work out at Hammonds House Museum through September 9. For the rest of you, keep the eyes peeled in your neck of the woods.
