CHARCOAL: Strokes of Vitality


Noé Barnett
Nikesha Breeze
Karsten Creightney
Kianah Jay
Paula Wilson

November 4 – December 11

A spacious art gallery with brightly lit white walls displaying various paintings and a sculpture of a robed figure standing in the center of the room on a wooden floor.
Art gallery interior showing a wall with two colorful landscape paintings and an exhibition title "CHARCOAL Strokes of Vitality" on the adjacent wall.
Art installation in a gallery featuring a sculptural piece made of a blue fabric robe adorned with golden branches, set on a black pedestal, with colorful abstract paintings in the background.
A colorful artistic tapestry displayed on a stand in an indoor setting, featuring abstract designs with floral elements and a central vase-like figure.
A painting depicting a shirtless man reflected in a wall mirror above a wooden table cluttered with various items, including a bottle and papers. A smaller landscape painting hangs beside the mirror.
A painting depicting a window with three panes; the left and right feature abstract blue and green designs, while the center pane shows a landscape with a statue.
This is a colorful collage art piece depicting an abstract figure surrounded by nature elements, including flowers and cacti, framed in a textured border with sun and tree motifs.
A graphite drawing of a seated person wearing a hat and overalls, depicted in a realistic style on textured paper, with a focus on detailed facial features and clothing. The person is seated on an ornate wooden chair.
Monochrome painting of a woman with voluminous hair, wearing a long dress and a chunky necklace, standing beside a chair, displayed against a white gallery wall.
A mannequin dressed in an intricate navy blue lace gown with a corset-style bodice, displayed in a museum. The figure's head is adorned with twigs and white flowers, and the figure is positioned among a backdrop of assorted dried plants and branches.
A vibrant, multicolored abstract mural featuring fragmented, overlapping shapes and subtle textures suggesting underlying human portraits.
Two hands, one from each side of a split canvas with contrasting backgrounds, hold vibrant flowers—a fiery orange lily and a deep purple rose.
A vibrant painting of two hands pressed together in a prayer-like position, surrounded by a colorful array of flowers including sunflowers and roses, with a gradient light effect on the fingertips.
A vibrant, circular rainbow gradient painted on a black canvas, displayed on a white gallery wall, showcasing smooth transitions among a spectrum of colors from red to blue.
Digital collage featuring a man with a contemplative expression sitting in front of a stylized road that splits, bordered by high walls under a textured sky. A bouquet of flowers rests in the foreground.
A mixed-media painting featuring a collage of human figures and landscapes. Monochromatic tones dominate, with detailed textures and varied scenes set in rural settings, suggesting themes of community and history.
A vivid painting depicting a wildflower meadow with large flowers in the foreground and a panoramic view of a rolling landscape under a cloudy sky.
Abstract painting featuring a vibrant collage of colors and shapes, with motifs of animals and human figures intertwined amidst nature-inspired patterns.
Kianah Jay, 108 x 72, inches
A vivid, colorful artwork featuring a series of abstract, silhouetted figures posed dynamically against a patterned background, with hues of pink, blue, yellow, and red.

Exhibition Catalogue

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Press Release

Richard Levy Gallery is pleased to present CHARCOAL: Strokes of Vitality, a group exhibition of Black artists working in New Mexico today. Curated by Kianah Jay, this show aims to expand Black spaces of celebration within the fine art community. This is essential in healing the wounds of structural racism and advocating for marginalized peoples in a measurable way. Each artist plays an important role in their respective communities and are invaluable key figures in the New Mexico arts community at large.

Noé Barnett is an emerging painter and important muralist in Albuquerque. He uses his work to build bridges between polarized communities and works with light as both a subject and a medium.

Nikesha Breeze recreates rare daguerreotypes of Black subjects at human scale as a way to impart honor and recognition to Black ancestors. In doing so, she aspires to heal trauma along ancestral lines by reimagining the past to redesign the future. Breeze is a co-founder of Earthseed Black Arts Alliance New Mexico, which supports Black, Indigenous, and People of Color artists working in northern New Mexico.

Karsten Creightney uses paint and collage to question mythologies of written history and to reconstruct problematic histories through a Black lens. He makes art as an inquiry by reassembling, reorganizing, and repurposing existing materials to present truths and possibilities that arise from the remnants of the past. Creightney is an assistant professor of art at the University of New Mexico.

Kianah Jay’s vibrant paintings depict the boundless feminine form. Originally a dancer, she blends her intuitive body knowledge with explosive color palettes, indigenous rhythms, and historical context. Jay is a co-founder of the FrienZone and a member of the Palace Collective.

Paula Wilson is a multimedia artist who uses paint, collage, film, installation, and printmaking as explorations of myth, race, gender, sexuality, and the natural world. There is no separation between art and life for Wilson, who makes all of her clothes and furniture with her partner. Wilson is a co-founder of MoMAZoZo and the Carrizozo Artist In Residency.

CHARCOAL includes a selection of performative videos by Breeze, Jay, and Wilson in which each artist uses their physical presence to empower and reclaim the Black narrative.

Images for this exhibition can be found on our website www.levygallery.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook: @levygallery #CHARCOAL @twolipsmusic (Kianah Jay) @nb.artistry (Noe Barnett)  @paulalights (Paula Wilson) @nikeshabreeze #karstencreightney

Dates: November 4–December 11, 2020
Location: Online and by Appointment
Contact: 505.766.9888, info@levygallery.com, www.levygallery.com @levygallery

Artwork and Information
Noé Barnett
Nikesha Breeze
Karsten Creightney
Kianah Jay
Paula Wilson