Bahamian poet Christian Campbell
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The
Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG) announced its 2015 winners
in their annual, province-wide, juried art gallery awards for artistic
merit and excellence. The OAAG recognizes the new exhibitions,
publications, programmes and community partnerships that have been
commissioned and produced by Ontario’s public art galleries over the
previous year in nine major categories: Exhibition, Curatorial and Art
Writing, Public Programme, Education, Art Publication, Design,
Partnership, Colleague and Volunteer.
The winner in the category of Art Writing was award-winning Bahamian poet
Christian Campbell for his lyric/essay entitled
“J.M.B.’s Dehistories” on African-American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat for the Art Gallery of Ontario’s exhibit
“Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time” Exhibition Catalogue published in February of 2015 by Prestel Publishing.
The
jury who awarded Campbell commented that his essay was “Amazing! Unlike
any other text on an important artist. Campbell’s writing clearly
matched Basquiat’s practice.”
In
the New York Times’ Sunday Book Review, June 25, 2015, describes
Campbell’s essay as an “adroit exegeses on recurring visual motifs like
the large skull in one of the many works called ‘Untitled’”. Campbell
writes, “It is utterly gorgeous even as it is hurt — beaten, skinned,
cracked and gouged by History. It has gorged on the city in return.
Basquiat’s miracle of color — carefully arranged patterns of
life-giving turquoise, orange and yellow — commemorates its survival.”
CLICK HERE to read the New York Times review of “Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time”.
CLICK HERE to view book at Amazon.com.
CLICK HERE for full list of OAAG 2015 winners.
