A new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Art, Houston explores Black identity through mixed media. On display through May 12, “Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage” features over 80 collage works from 52 living artists.
The exhibit seeks to unpack the complexity of Black culture through themese ranging from beauty and gender fluidity to historical memory.
Amongst the contemporary works is Tasha by Devan Shimoyama. The piece, adorned with sequins, glitter, beads, and silk feathers in his signature style, combats masculine spaces with the acknowledgement of queer identity. Notably, three Swarovski crystal tears rest upon the figure’s check as images of men with hyper-masculine haircuts sits in the background.
In the press
Collage is an art form that’s ripe for such an exploration. The process of turning fragments into a cohesive whole is innate in the practice of collage, and parallels how identity is often the creation of a sense of wholeness from many seemingly disparate parts.
View the full exhibition here.
