The Batesville Area Arts Council (BAAC) is showcasing “Lowkey Mixtape Metaphysic,” an exhibition by artist and educator Justin Tyler Bryant, through March 7, 2025, at the BAAC Gallery on Main. The event is sponsored by First Community Bank.
Bryant is currently an Assistant Professor of Visual Art and Curator of the African Art Collection at Philander Smith University in Little Rock. According to a release from the BAAC, his recent work investigates the past and present imagery of African-Americans to reflect a multicontextual narrative. In his work, he uses found objects, paintings, drawings, and videos to suggest a fugitive notion of Blackness.
“Lowkey Mixtape Metaphysic” is a series of paintings that reflect on Black fugitivity and cosmology, the release said. It uses a multifaceted aesthetic approach to show a multitude of Black modalities as to say that we are multidimensional, ontologically bountiful, and quasi quasar like; as it is believed that a quasar is the brightest star and contains massive black holes.
A public reception for the exhibition will be held on Friday, Jan. 31, from 5 to 7 p.m., with Bryant delivering a brief artist talk at 6 p.m. Admission to the reception and exhibition is free.
The gallery, located at 226 E. Main St., is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information about the artist and his work, visit batesvilleareaartscouncil.org.
Justin Tyler Bryant — PROTOTYPE
Justin Tyler Bryant — STARTER PACK
Justin Tyler Bryant — BLACK PARK
Images via the Batesville Area Arts Council
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