SHARON LOUISE BARNES

Band of Vices is thrilled to present its first major exhibition of 2022 with Los Angeles interdisciplinary visual artist, Sharon Louise Barnes.

STRADDLE THE WHIRLWIND taps into the possibilities for Social Abstraction to serve as both an expressive and a communicative medium. Presenting works on canvas and mixed media sculptures from her ongoing seed Wind Series, the show is inspired by Second Sermon on the Warpland, written by the poet, activist, and first Black PulitzerPrize winner, Gwendolyn Brooks and draws equal inspiration from the rallying slogan, They Tried to Bury Us...They Didn’t Know that We Were Seeds. The presented works continue my exploration of spaces of resistance, resilience, and beauty. Using metaphoric creative processes, I strive to activate a broad range of cut, collaged, and assembled techniques to evoke fracture and reparation, layer and overlap, struggle and resilience against the backdrop of race and power in America. Hanging threads, repeating ideographic shapes, elements of chaos, and moments of sparkle are part of my continually evolving investigation of visual language and poetic materiality.

This exhibition represents the second exhibition Ms. Barnes has shared with Band of Vices. In 2018, her Process & Materials solo show exemplified a discovery of an alchemical practice that allowed her to find hope and transformation in the struggle to work with rough and salvaged materials.