Artists' statement - onajide shabaka

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ARTISTS' STATEMENT

For those who come from an entirely different artistic tradition than the Euro-American one, the current discussions in contemporary art and the machinations of the art market in the United States can feel like an awfully foreign place. It takes much stamina, patience, and dedication to find a sense of legitimacy and value for a practice that does not neatly fit into the dominant categories and criteria of artistic achievement. This has been the struggle of myself, Onajide Shabaka, who has pursued a unique vision of not just an artistic practice but a comprehensive artistic life.

I have forged a path for my artistic interests that challenges the status quo of the mainstream art world, especially the hermeticism and austerity of the white cubic gallery space. At the same time, my work, in its engagement with nature, history, technology, and ritual--allows the viewers to experience a more holistic view of the world.

It has become clear that existing genre categories are inadequate to encompass my ambitions. With an exceptionally broad-based knowledge in contemporary art history, critical theory, as well as anthropology and ethnobotany, I am more prepared for my journey than ever before. I have also integrated my practice with the new cyber-technologies of the internet to create an altogether different form of dialogue and audience around my work.

Selected Exhibitions:

1990 "Next Generation: Southern Black Aesthetic" [3 year tour], Southeastern Center for Contemp. Art, Winston-Salem, NC; "Five Decades in Miami: 1940-1990", Miami-Dade Public Library System, Miami, FL; "Photography Today", Peter Drew Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
1991 "Next Generation", Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, TN; "Interior Motives, Interior Motifs", Lower Columbia College, Longview, WA
1992 "Next Generation", Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans, LA; Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, FL; Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH
1993 "Existential Evolution", APS Gallery, Sarasota, FL (solo) "Miami/Beach Exchange", South Florida Art Center, Miami Beach, FL; "Southern Roots: South Florida Invitational", Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, FL; "Caribbean Affair", Zora Neale Hurston Museum of Fine Art, Eatonville, FL; "Collage & Assemblage: Selected Florida Artists", Center for the Arts, Vero Beach, FL
1994 "Where the Water Tastes Like Cherry Wine", Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL; "Water is Both the Barrier & the Passageway", Center for the Arts, Stuart, FL (solo); "Chiaroscuro: 1994 Montgomery Biennial", Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, Montgomery, AL
1995 "Condition of Unfocus", University Arkansas, Little Rock (solo)
1996 "Cotton & Iron", Miami-Dade Community College, Miami, FL (solo);
"Ethereal Images: Photographic Installations", Southeast Musem of Photography, Daytona Beach, FL
1997 "Cotton & Iron: another view", Century 21 Exhibition Space, Miami, FL (solo); "Florida Provenance," Center for the Arts, Vero Beach, FL; "Three Photography Artists," Galerie Douyon, Miami, FL
1998 "Assembly Line", Dorsch Gallery, Miami, FL; "Mangrove/Mud/Mystery [solo performance]," Miami, FL
1999 "Vulture Project," various outdoor locations in FL; "Vulture Vida (group performance)," Miami, FL; "All God's Children Got Shoes," Miami-Dade Public Library, Miami, FL; "Seraphic Light," Montpelier, VT (solo)
2000 "I Anoint My Flesh," MFA Thesis exhibition & performance, Vermont College, Montpelier, VT

EDUCATION:

Los Angeles Harbor College, Wilmington, CA - 1967- 69
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA - 1970
California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA - 1971-72
Pacific Fashion Institute, San Francisco, CA - 1973 - 74
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL - 1990 - 93
BFA Photography
Vermont College of Norwich University, Montpelier, VT - 1998 - 2000
MFA in Visual Art