Regardless of space, place, and time, the Black community has always been resilient while enduring a lot of pressure from the outside world. American artist Auudi Dorsey's solo exhibition "We Just Got to See Us" uses fragments of daily life to explore the experience of African Americans in the South through a contemporary perspective. The exhibition will be held at WOAW Gallery from June 15th to July 22nd. This exhibition is also the artist's first solo exhibition in Asia.
Dorsey was born and raised in the Black community in the South. He was born in 1992. From childhood to adulthood, all his daily experiences have constructed his identity and cultural traditions. He draws inspiration from them and captures moments in the past and present in his works, from personal using materials from his experiences to depict the struggles and achievements of the Black community reflects his identification and pride in this culture.
The artist shares: “My ability to express any emotion at will within a contemporary context allows me to interact with the environmental, social and political climate of African Americans in the South. These works depict moments from the past and present, some of which It comes from personal experience. I want people in my community to be seen and respected, because it is people who bring the community together.” In this exhibition, the artist invites everyone to enter a world that celebrates the resilience and spirit of the Black community.
The characters in the painting completely represent the purpose of the theme. In the painting, it can be seen that the artist has placed together common objects in his works such as white T-shirts, cars and cigarettes. The work’s color palette consists primarily of earth tones that complement the rich tones of black skin. Interestingly, the artist told us that some of the paintings with white backgrounds represent missing and absent people in the community. They once existed in the community, but their disappearance does not mean that they have migrated, but wants to emphasize that they are all here. Unknowingly viewed as intruders into their own communities. It can be seen that Auudi Dorsey's works come from the heart and originate from the delicate observation of daily life.
The characters in the artist's work are inspired by people and situations in daily life in southern culture. The idea is to give value to things that may seem worthless in people's eyes, and to tell how African Americans in the South still maintain their stories of ancestral culture.
About Auudi Dorsey
Auudi Dorsey (b. 1992) works from the heart and from observation. The characters in the artist's work are inspired by the people and situations of everyday life in Southern culture. “I paint these people so that they can be part of something bigger than their current situation and reality, and it also shows how New Orleans has influenced my work,” Dorsey said. The idea is to incorporate those who were there. Giving value to things that seem worthless, or telling a story about how African Americans in the South still maintained the culture of their ancestors. Whether stemming from celebrations, traditions or social conditions, his paintings can see figures participating in their environments, with white T-shirts, cars and cigarettes being common elements in his artwork. The artist's work communicates across the past and present of African Americans in the South.
Auudi Dorsey's works are collected by the Beijing Art Museum in China, the Xiao Contemporary Art Museum in Rizhao, China, and the UpNext Museum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
WOAW Gallery presents Auudi Dorsey's solo exhibition "We Just Got to See Us"
Exhibition date: June 15 to July 22, 2023
Exhibition location: 5 Sun Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
