Archival artworks by Absurdly Well, Divorce Culture & Erik White
Washington, D.C.—Reparations, resistance, reprisal—these are the nouns of upheaval. Do you not feel a change afoot? A new generation of activists and artists march in droves, with phalanxes not seen since the civil rights movement, deposing false idols; myriad of declarative expressions exhort an awakening, both socially and politically. Much like the fate of their fore-fathers and fore-mothers, time will bare their commitment to radical progress.
Reclamation, Watergate Gallery's upcoming group exhibition opening on August 29th, posits three District artists in the present civil discourse. Absurdly Well and Divorce Culture are tenured street artists, celebrating print, graffiti, and wheatpaste styles with a regiment of public works--messages from the misrepresented margins of our nation's capital--encroaching the superstructure of Congress. Erik White, the cool itinerant of the trio, assembles primitive paintings, like X-rays, offering insight into the debasement of the black body, requiems for the legend of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Space is a hot commodity in D.C. Barricaded streets, and wooden sheaths shuttering storefronts create more canvas for guerrilla artists but cause other works to be lost in translation. "I'm stoked to be able to show art in a space during a time when there's so much going on," said White. This triad of creators does not take the gallery setting for granted.
Due to the concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, this month-long show is a restricted viewing. The gallery will permit groups of eight inside the salon at a time, with RSVP, temperature checks and face masks required upon entry. The opening reception will be Saturday, August 29th from 5-7 pm. To RSVP for the exhibition, please visit the Watergate Gallery & Frame Design’s website.