As I was ushered through the chaotic Slawstrips Kalb this past weekend, it became more and more imminently clear that the high-strung, neurotic environment of sights, sounds, and smells was designed with a purpose in mind. To intently expose the guest with a sensory overload was to give them just a taste of what it’s like to be black in America.
As exaggerative as it was, the alternative dimension of Slawstrips Kalb is the reality of every black American. Hampton Boyer’s art playfully encapsulates that atmosphere to showcase a kaleidoscopic world colored in both suffering and beauty. And that’s the crux of Black Spirituals…there is both significant pain and an inheritable amount of pride and greatness that comes with being black.
Hampton Boyer, Artifacts for Reflection, 2020. Oil, acrylic, paper, and muslin on canvas. 
Hampton Boyer, Epicenter, 2020. Oil, acrylic, gouache, newsprint on paper. 
Hampton Boyer, “Unity” (It’s A Jungle Out There). 
Hampton Boyer, Without Second Thought. Acrylic and oil on pigmented muslin, 50″ x 50″
Boyer’s vibrant paintings have been featured in galleries and exhibitions such as There’s No Place Like Here at the Virginia MOCA, FADED BY THE SUN at Norfolk’s popblossom, and Primordial Emanations at the Richmond 1708 Gallery. Boyer also serves as the co-founder, curator, advisor, and business developer of The Contemporary Arts Network and member of the avant-garde, hip-hop group the Tunny Crew. You can listen to their newly released concept album, Black Spirituals, here.
Featured image (Catastrophe) is courtesy of Hampton Boyer.
There are still tickets left for the FINAL showing of the Black Spirituals installation, get your tickets here.
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