The eyes are the first thing you notice — or, more accurately, the lack of them. Atlanta-based artist Jamaal Barber’s current body of woodcut prints, titled Identity Series, features striking images of five black women and one man. To evoke thought and provoke conversation about persistent racial profiling in our society, the artist has obliterated their eyes.
“I’ve been stereotyped in my life,” explains Barber. “It puts you into a space thinking that all the things that you are don’t matter.” He continues, “I’m a father, a husband, a college graduate, homeowner, taxpayer, a concerned citizen that volunteers and teaches printmaking to kids. But in that moment … I was whatever they said I was, and I was powerless to stop it.”
His sightless figures symbolize this deeply disturbing feeling of invisibility. “I start with a full drawing, eyes and all, on the woodblock,” says Barber, “but the eyes are never carved into the wood.” Instead, he obscures the features. “The markings are random and violent, simulating how jarring it is to lose your individuality,” he explains. But, he adds, his figures still retain a royal, prideful air.
Barber’s prints are part of Ink + Imagery: Print Invitational, an exhibit at Blue Spiral 1 Gallery in downtown Asheville. “[Shows] such as this,” says Gallery Director Michael G. Manes, “are a special opportunity, particularly for new artists, because it allows them to exhibit with artists who already have a built-in audience.”
Manes adds that the exhibit also provides a forum for directions in art that do not always get the attention they deserve. He cites “Advance,” a 27-foot-long installation by Boone artist April Flanders that fills the back wall of Blue Spiral’s main gallery, serving as a focal point for visitors.
The vivid work includes more than 300 printed and hand-cut representations of invasive species inhabiting North America. Manes expected the piece would “amp up” the Ink + Imagery show with its size and uniqueness. It did that and more: recently, he reveals, the installation was purchased by a donor to be displayed at the Asheville Museum of Science — spreading its message as it goes.
Ink + Imagery includes works by 14 artists who explore different methods of printmaking on ceramic, fabric, glass, and paper. It runs through Friday, December 22. Blue Spiral 1, 38 Biltmore Ave., Asheville. 828-251-0202. For more information, see bluespiral1.com.