Artwork: Awol Erizku, Bad and Boujee – Migos (Feat. Lil Uzi Vert,) 2016, Acrylic on wooden panel, 38 x 42 1⁄4” in.
Born in Ethiopia and raised in the South Bronx, Los Angeles-based artist Awol Erizku beautifully embodies the zeitgeist with I Was Going to Call It Your Name But You Didn’t Let Me, a new series of 20 paintings and conceptual sound collage currently at Nina Johnson, Miami, now through January 7, 2017.
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The exhibition takes a the image of the beautifully manicured hand of Queen Nefertiti holding a rose, appropriated from nail salon signage where ErIzku keeps his studio, as its central motif for a series of paintings. Throughout the works, elements of the cityscape take shape, be it the patches of buffed-out segments of paint, the ubiquitous cross outs of a graff writer who lives to hate, or the appearance of Rihanna’s adorable “badgirlriri” avi.
Awol Erizku, “Same Ol’ Mistakes” – Rihanna, house and spray paint on OSB, 2016
Bearing the titles of songs like “Where Do We Go” by Solange, “Love Can Be” by Yeek”, and “First Take” by Travis Scott, Erizku’s paintings are accompanied by a sound collage that includes work by Drake, Future, and Party Next Door, fusing the visual and sonic realms to create an immersive environment that evokes the here and now, invoking the cultural moment that speaks to people from all walks of life, resonating a deep, harmonious melody backed by a throbbing bass.
I Was Going to Call It Your Name But You Didn’t Let Me is a love song of the purest form. The deep red of the rose painted on the gallery walls, vibrates with energy, emotion, and the frequencies of life, a reminder of the power of art to bring people together in a world of pleasure, joy, respect, and, above all, love. Awol Erizku speaks with Crave about his work.
Awol Erizku, Switch- Roy Woods, 2016, Acrylic on wooden panel, 38 x 42 1⁄4” in
I love the disembodied hand holding a rose as a motif for this series of work. It is so poignant and evocative of so many things, all at once. Please talk about your inspiration/ to use this as an icon in this series of work.
Awol Erizku: The motif was something that I saw a lot growing up. I never saw a black hand, and once I created my version of it, I became obsessed with it; I want to put as many of them in the world as I can. It comes from a soon-to-be-realized mobile flower shop/truck I’ve been working on with my partner of many years. Our idea was to create a motif that would resonate with the communities we wish to drive the truck through and expose young kids to the lives of plants and flowers.
Awol Erizku
I’m impressed by how far such a symbol can travel, going into such a broad array of communities—much like the music you are pairing it with, it speaks to something universal about human experience. How did you determine which songs to use for this show, and how do they relate to the symbol of the manicured hand holding a rose?
The song selection was a six or seven month process. I’d listen to new albums and songs that came out during the time I was working on the paintings, and would pair a painting to a song I’d listened to when the painting was finished. They’re all love songs; they’re songs I dedicated to my partner Sarah Lineberger.
Awol Erizku, Codeine Crazy – Future, 2016, Acrylic on wooden panel, 72 x 84 x 12 in
When creating the exhibition, what was your process from moving between visual and audio components of the work? How did the selections of the songs influence the creation of the paintings and vice versa?
I always work on both simultaneously. I DJ at night and music is always playing in my studio, so the process is effortless for me. Some of the roses are crossed out because some of the songs talk about this idea of “lost love,” which was something I was channeling. Once I was certain of all the titles for the show, mixing was the easy part.
Awol Erizku, Come and See Me ft. Drake – PARTYNEXTDOO,R 2016, Acrylic on wooden panel, 72 x 96 in
You have stated that the works are a response to color theory, recalling Joseph Albers’ pedagogical exercises that influenced you as a student at Cooper Union. Could you kindly expand on this? Your color palette has a deeply soothing and restorative effect.
I mean, to be honest, I was the loner in my color theory class. One day, my professor got mad at me for doing my assignment differently from everyone else and told me I was the worst kid in the class… From that point on, I made sure I flexed on him with my knowledge of color theory every chance I got, in every medium I work with, so thank you, Stephen Ellis.
Awol Erizku ,Too Much Sauce – Future & Lil Uzi Vert, 2016, Acrylic on wooden panel, 38 x 42 1⁄4” in
All artwork: Courtesy of Nina Johnson, Miami.
Miss Rosen is a New York-based writer, curator, and brand strategist. There is nothing she adores so much as photography and books. A small part of her wishes she had a proper library, like in the game of Clue. Then she could blaze and write soliloquies to her in and out of print loves.
