Event Details
This event has already taken place.
View the Latest Events
This event has already taken place. View the Latest Events
Sydney G. James: Girl Raised in Detroit
Jane Lombard Gallery is pleased to present Girl Raised in Detroit, a solo exhibition by Detroit-based artist Sydney G. James. Following her recent exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Girl Raised in Detroit will feature new and existing large-scale sculptural paintings and installations. Inspired by her multifaceted career as a muralist, clothing designer, and cultural organizer, the works continue James’ exploration into themes of community, connectivity, and identity. The exhibition opens with a reception on January 12 from 6 - 8 PM. Known for taking on the walls of buildings as her substrate of choice, James pares down her portraits for Girl Raised in Detroit by a magnitude that delicately balances intimacy with monumentality. On canvas, James delineates members of her immediate circle on a larger-than-life scale using striking, vivid colors that evoke joy, pain, strength, and resilience. Orchestrating an artist-muse relationship that speaks to her subjects’ lived experiences and personal histories, James fosters an environment wherein both parties can engage in reciprocal emotional support. In her series Bereavement, James depicts her subjects respectively shedding masks made from repurposed clothing items that carry personal traumas, acknowledging the freighted history of sequestering racial struggles behind a façade.
The artist seeks to establish spaces of freedom and security that mirror the creative sanctuaries of the city that raised her. In The Westside Johnsons, James recreates her uncle Maurice’s 70s-era living room in the downstairs gallery. Decor, furniture, and avocado green walls provide a sense of familial security that invites visitors to a place and time that served as a sanctuary for James. The focus of the installation, a large-scale family portrait inspired by a photograph taken on July 4, 1978, depicts a cheerful and welcoming Maurice surrounded by his eleven siblings. With a posture or gaze, The Westside Johnsons communicates the strength offered by a unified and loving family structure, their expressive faces brimming with humor and pride. The installation immerses viewers in the hospitality of James’ extended family as they are invited to sit and contemplate the bounds of and criteria for safety and freedom.
Venue: Jane Lombard Gallery
58 White Street
Map
212-967-8040
Buy Tickets | Learn More |
Will You Go?
More Events...
In Conversation: Chris Martin with Peter Halley at Timothy Taylor
Mon | 5:30 PM
Join Timothy Taylor for a conversation between artists Chris Martin and Peter Halley inside Martin's second solo show with the gallery and first at Timothy Taylor in New York, titled Speed of Light. T...
VALS Visiting Artist Lecture Series with Nguyen E. Smith at Dock 72 - Brooklyn Navy Yard
Tue | 6 PM
Join us for the VALS Visiting Artist Lecture Series featuring Nguyen E. Smith! This in person event will be held at Dock 72 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Hosted by our Fine Arts MFA program, VALS i...
Exhibition Opening of Stefan Falke's 'Reflecting New York' at Deutsches Haus At New York University
Thu | 6 PM
Deutsches Haus at NYU presents the exhibition opening of Stefan Falke's "Reflecting New York." Using a handheld mirror in locations around New York photographer Stefan Falke (author of "Keep Going New...