About the artists of Interpersonal
Group exhibition
Interpersonal
Andre Barker, Kaleigh Blevins, Alicia Brown, Cydney Camp, Gregory Johnson, Richard Lewis, Joshua Rainer, Rashaun Rucker, Mieyoshi Ragernoir, Shonobi
January 12 - February 10, 2024
Opening Reception: January 12, 6 - 9 PM
ANDRE BARKER
I am an Afro-Surrealist who uses figurative painting to visually represent the poetic weirdness of the Black experience in the United States by telling Black stories—my story. I do this by featuring Black and Brown people in iconic works that we have historically been excluded from.
My goal is to capture a feeling in my paintings through the use of color, expression, and dramatic lighting to continue the conversation about the change our society desperately needs.
The word that describes my practice is persistence. This word has continuously inspired me to move forward and perfect my craft.
Andre Barker Jr. (b. 1997) is a figurative painter from Detroit, Michigan. He graduated summa cum laude with his BFA from Wayne State University (2022) and is currently an MFA candidate at Columbia College Chicago (2022-2024). Though he did not consider a career in art until 2021, he has gone on to receive two Art Activity and Achievement awards from Wayne State University, a Dwight W. Follett Continuing Graduate Student Fellowship, and a Diversity and Inclusion Award from Columbia College Chicago. He has shown his work at The 3 Square Art Gallery in Fort Collins, CO; The Buckham Gallery in Flint, MI; The KCAD Alluvium Gallery in Grand Rapids, MI; The Detroit Historical Museum in Detroit, MI; and will soon have a solo show at M Contemporary Art in Ferndale, MI in 2024. He was also selected and included in Artistonish: Contemporary Art Magazine and Observica Magazine.
The inspiration for his current work came from one of his many visits to the Detroit Institute of Arts. He noticed the lack of Black representation in the museum, where Black people were either excluded, hidden, or poorly rendered in classic paintings. His paintings depict contemporary Black people in artwork that uses the drama of the chiaroscuro technique and symbolism to capture a feeling of the poetic weirdness of the Black Experience through the lens of Afro-Surrealism.
This is a subject that he will continue to develop as he works toward his MFA thesis at Columbia College Chicago and after he Graduates in 2024.
My work explores the uncertainty of life through a Black lens. I highlight how absurd the world can feel for Black Americans by taking what can feel familiar and safe, and distorting it. The familiarity stems from my use of imagery from popular culture, such as cartoons, films, famous artworks, and myths and folklore.
For many people, these media have offered representation, escapism, or a way to understand the world and bond with others.
In my work, I often emphasize uncomfortable aspects of these usually reassuring images, placing them in scarcely filled urban and domestic spaces to interrogate the role they play for the subjects of the paintings and for Black Americans as a whole. My goal is to create a sense of uncomfortable intimacy, as though viewers are unintentionally intruding upon private moments.
ALICIA BROWN
b. 1981, St. Ann, Jamaica
Alicia Brown attended the Edna Manley College of the Visual Performing Arts, Kingston, Jamaica, and received a diploma in Art Education in 2003 and a BFA in Painting in 2009. Brown received her MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 2014 and was awarded a residency scholarship in Leipzig Germany from the school. Alicia was one of the winners of the Dawn Scott Memorial Award in the Jamaica Biennial 2017. She is a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant, and LCU Foundation Grants. She has participated in numerous group shows in Jamaica, USA and Europe. She has had a solo show at Studio 174 in Kingston, Jamaica and Virago Gallery, Seattle Washington. Her work has been featured in Hyperallergic magazine, Painting the figure now 2019 magazine, The Jamaica Gleaner and Observer, Caribbean Quarterly Journal and other publications. Her work is in the collections of Steven Alan Bennett, Imago Mundi, George N’Namdi, and Brenda Thompson among others. Alicia Brown uses traditional and contemporary painting techniques and iconographic references to examine race, cultural identity, adaptation, beauty and social status.
CYDNEY CAMP
b. 1994, Detroit
Cydney Camp is an artist whose oil paintings and drawings embody the diversity of Black life.
She imbues her works with an aura of power and tranquility through a vibrant color palette, often introducing elements of abstraction, forming dreamlike compositions. Many of her scenes reflect moments of peace among Black figures, positioning leisure as an act of protest against marginalization, particularly in regards to Black femininity. As a whole, her works engender a reality outside the exploitative extraction of the Black body that pervades our broader cultural ethos.
Camp has exhibited across Detroit and Michigan, including at K.O. Gallery, Norwest Gallery, Ann Arbor Art Center, Center for Detroit Arts & Culture, Detroit Fiber Works, and many more. She lives and works in Hamtramck, Detroit.
GREGORY JOHNSON
Throughout time, artists have given statements, whether written or oral, regarding why they do what they do. I have shied away from making an artist’s statement because I do not feel qualified to make such a grand opinion about what my art means. I believe the viewer has just as much responsibility to interpret the work as the artist who created it. I do not want to ruin the experience of the viewer with a detailed explanation of what each piece means. As an artist, I feel that I do not have the luxury of producing art for art’s sake, whether it be real or imagined. I do, however, believe that the words of art historian Samella Lewis best exemplify my impression of my work and the responsibility I have as an artist. She states, “In their search for direction (the artist) must be mindful of the unique situations and purposes that confront them as artists. They must be cognizant of their obligations and responsibilities to their communities…to also understand the power of art and the use of that power to inform and educate.” I believe that I am but a servant of God and I want to use the gifts that have been bestowed upon me to the best of my ability. I hope my work reflects my beliefs.
A native of Georgia, Gregory Johnson was reared in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Mackenzie High School and later attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio where he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1988. He received his Master of Fine Arts Degree in drawing and painting from Bowling Green State University in 1991. He has taught in Detroit Public Schools, been an art instructor for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and part-time Humanities Professor at Wayne County Community College District. He is currently a Reading Interventionist for New Paradigm for Education. He is an art historian and has had the pleasure of being a part of several artist’s panels, salons, and discussions.
Johnson’s work reflects the environment and the culture in which he was reared. His preferred mediums are watercolor, colored pencils, and oil paint. Although primarily a painter, Johnson also renders linoleum block prints and sculpture. His work reveals a high degree of realism and an appreciation for the environment in which he lives.
RICHARD LEWIS
Richard Lewis was born in Detroit in 1966. He graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1985. He earned his B.F.A. from College for Creative Studies and his M.F.A. from the Yale School of Art. He was awarded the Kresge Foundation Fellowship in 2011, which was well deserved.
Artist page
JOSHUA RAINER
Joshua Rainer was born in Detroit in February of 1996. He lives in and works from his hometown. Rainer began formal art education at Cranbrook Upper Schools, is a member of the Birmingham Bloomfield Arts Center (BBAC). He was the recipient of four Scholastics Regional Gold Medals in Painting, the Regional Best of Show, a Regional American Vision Nomination, and a Scholastics National Silver Medal in Painting. Rainer graduated from the College for Creative Studies’ Illustration Department in 2018 and has exhibited in the Grosse Pointe Art Center, the U245 Gallery, two College for Creative Studies Juried Student Exhibitions, Marygrove College, and been featured in DDEAF Magazine.
RASHAUN RUCKER
Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Rashaun Rucker attended North Carolina Central University and Marygrove College. He makes photographs, prints and drawings and has won more than 40 national and state awards for his work.
In 2008, Rucker became the first African American to be named Michigan Press Photographer of the Year. The same year, he won a Natural Emmy Award for Documentary Photography on the pitbull culture in Detroit. Rucker has held numerous fellowships and residencies, including the Maynard Fellowship at Harvard in 2009; a Hearst Visiting Professional in the journalism department at the University of North Caroline-Chapel Hill in 2013; an Artist Residency at the Red Bull House of Art in 2014; Kresge Arts Fellowship in 2019; a residency at the International Studios and Curatorial Program in Brooklyn, New York in 2021; and a Mellon Fellowship at the University of Michigan Institute of Humanities in 2021.
Rucker was honored as a Modern Man by Black Enterprise Magazine in 2016 and created the original artwork for the critically acclaimed Detroit Free Press documentary 12 and Clairmount. His work was recently featured in HBO’s celebrated series Random Acts of Flyness and Native Son. In 2019, Rucker was awarded the Red Bull Arts Detroit Micro Grant followed by A Sustainable Arts Foundation Award in 2020 and a Visual Arts Grant by the Harpo Foundation in 2021.
Currently, Rucker is pursuing an MFA in print media at Cranbrook Academy of Art. His diverse work is represented in numerous public and private collections.
MIEYOSHI RAGERNOIR
She/Her/They
Mieyoshi Ragernoir is a Harlem-born figurative painter and mixed-media installation artist.
Mieyoshi creates celebratory paintings archiving the connections of joy, people, and heritage; predominantly portraits highlighting the radiance of Black femininity. Beyond capturing the vibrant essence of Black femininity, Ragernoir’s work illuminates her visual commentary and social lens on Black American history and how it presents itself in contemporary society through her use of color and moments of surrealism. In 2022, Mieyoshi Ragernoir received her MFA in Michigan, building upon her BFA in Painting and Drawing earned from Pratt Institute in 2019.
SAMSON SHOFOLUWE (SHONOBI)
Born and raised across Nigeria and the UK, I’ve journeyed to the United States, establishing myself as the “art kid” in every community. At the age of 11, I left Nigeria for the UK, driven by the pursuit of better opportunities—a theme ingrained in the lives of many Nigerians. This relentless pursuit continued as I moved from the UK to the US, driven by the same desire for a brighter future. These transitions were not just geographical shifts; they were strategic moves to create a better path for myself.
My artistic journey, rooted in self-portraiture, took shape during a transformative gap year in 2019. Exhibiting in London and redirecting from architecture to a profound commitment to fine arts, I discovered a newfound confidence in my craft.
While self-portraits have been a predominant theme, my evolving approach involves stepping beyond the canvas of personal narratives. Engaging with diverse artistic communities in London and the US, I’ve showcased my work in multiple exhibitions, gaining recognition and respect. My YouTube presence, focused on collaboration and community-driven content, serves as a testament to transforming adversity into an opportunity for connection and shared creativity.
Inspired by fading memories in Nigeria, my art is an intimate dialogue with memory and identity. As I strive to immortalize moments slipping away due to constant diasporic movements, I am acutely aware of the sacrifices made for this artistic journey.
Looking forward, my goal is to establish a notable presence in the art scene and inspire others globally. This comprehensive portfolio reflects not just my artistic exploration but also a commitment to making my art a successful and fulfilling chapter in my life—a tribute to the sacrifices made by my mother and an embodiment of my unwavering passion for art.
