December 16 - February 11, 2023
From Art League Houston:
“Art League Houston (ALH) is proud to present We gon put it on the Hood, before we put it on God, an exhibition by artist Gregory Michael Carter. In this third presentation in ALH’s newest public art initiative Platform, Carter investigates the current political climate by referencing a range of influences including product and graphic design, mecha anime, West African and Renaissance sculpture, and American television culture, among others.
Carter draws inspiration from the poetry of Lucille Clifton (1936 – 2010) and her deep engagement with history as a subject and its potential reframing through literature and the arts. For this exhibition, the artist references an excerpt of Clifton’s renowned poem i am accused of tending to the past:
i am accused of tending to the past
as if i made it,
as if i sculpted it
with my own hands. i did not.
-Lucile Clifton
Carter’s research-based practice also deeply engages with current political events. The artist states: “In April, the governor of Florida signed into law a bill that is designed to restrict the discussion of race and privilege in classrooms and in the workplace. Much of the work I’ve done over the past few years deals with the idea of gathering true history, wherever it may hide, and creating new relics based on those truths, to replace the ones stolen by the Europeans and the Americans during the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade. In many instances these works seem to repair the damage to the collective black image, due to a consistent attack by the inherently racist American media. This particular work is an interactive one that addresses some of my views on the current political climate here in the U.S.”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Gregory Michael Carter is a Houston-born artist and community activist. Currently living and working in St. Louis, MO, Gregory is fascinated and influenced by cultural history and global politics. He has travelled to 30 countries and visited more than 50 UNESCO world heritage sites. He is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily with drawing, printmaking, painting, collage, and photography. He is founder of The Milburn Institute for Research and Development, a nonprofit organization based on the Northside of St. Louis, across the street from Fairgrounds park. He also is the co-founder of Thirdwardsfinest.com, an online retailer dedicated to supporting and uplifting his home neighborhood in Houston by donating half of its revenue to local nonprofits including Project Row Houses, SHAPE Community Center, and others. His work was on view at the San Antonio Museum of Art, as part of the Texas Biennial.”
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