Rashaad Newsome "Herald"
Marlborough Chelsea
This event has ended.
Rashaad Newsome’s work comprises a visual vocabulary that combines high neo-Baroque style with low pop-advertising imagery in obsessively-handmade collages. His richly detailed compositions form a kind of Rosetta stone for the hip-hop culture. Newsome culls familiar images of luxury goods from glossy consumer magazines: sports gear, jewel-encrusted brooches, rings, watches, furs and yachts, which he meticulously affixes in richly layered compositions with patterned backgrounds and a distinctive use of central space with crests and shields built from unexpected details.
The age-old theme of heraldry is brought into the 21st century by Newsome. Evident in this exhibition is his ongoing interest in the practice of designing and displaying coats of arms and heraldic achievements. Traditional symbols are updated with new meaning. In Black Barbie, 2011, Newsome pays tribute to the female rapper Nicki Minaj. He creates a feminine coat of arms with luxe details composed against an intricate background. Basing his design upon a page in Owen Jones’ 19th-century manifesto, The Grammar of Ornament, Newsome has replaced academic line with overlapping cut-outs of Cuban-link gold chain. Rhinestone brooches replace traditional flora and fauna. A custom-painted pink, green and silver frame that reflects the candy-colored automobiles in the rapper’s music videos puts an ultra-feminine spin on things.
Media
Schedule
from October 20, 2011 to December 03, 2011
Opening Reception on 2011-10-20 from 18:00 to 20:00