“It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen,
although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves.”
— The Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
Black Dimensions in Art, Inc presents a conversation with artists Marcus Kwame Anderson and David F. Walker about their work on The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History.
The panel will discuss the history of the party and speak about their creative process and the role that comic books can play in telling history. A meet-and-greet with the artists will follow the discussion. Moderated by Skidmore College’s Black Studies Program Professor Winston Grady-Willis.
Spring Street Gallery is proud to open its doors to the public after a year of being closed for FORMERLY INVISIBLE, works by Marcus Kwame. Kwame is an illustrator and fine artist who has been creating art since childhood. Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, he moved to upstate New York as a child. “Much of my work is a representation of the beauty and diversity of the African Diaspora; the arts can be a powerful vehicle for change,” states Kwame.
Kwame is a member of Black Dimensions in Art, Inc. an organization in New York’s Capital Region whose mission is to educate the public about the unique contributions of artists of the African Diaspora, and to encourage the youth in the practice, application, and appreciation of the arts.
We are so excited to share Kwame’s prints and paintings with our local community and region.
All works are for sale and a portion of the proceeds will benefit MLK Saratoga.
Artist Statement
“It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen, although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves.” – The Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
Visibility is a recurring theme in my life and work. Many of the challenges and injustices that affect marginalized people in general, and Black people in particular, are tied to society’s refusal to see us fully. That may sound odd, since images of Black people seem to be everywhere in our entertainment and other media, but I’m not speaking of literal visibility. I’m referring to the ability to truly see us. To see us as fully realized human beings in all of our beautiful complexity. Even while widely seen, we too often face a figurative invisibility. This invisibility impacts us in profound ways. It closes doors and limits opportunities.
Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, published in 1952, is one of my favorite books. It brilliantly explores themes of invisibility. In the novel’s introduction, the unnamed Black protagonist states.
“I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination — indeed, everything and anything except me.”
His invisibility is not his flaw. It is a product of the outside world’s flawed perception.
As I worked on the initial sketches for the new work in this exhibit I found myself thinking of Ellison’s work. I thought of how our social invisibility impacts our lives. In 2020, many non-Black people joined us in demanding justice for the murder of George Floyd and countless other Black people by police, but the calls for change have since been engulfed by loud and violent counter-narratives and an aggressive adherence to the status quo. This was on my mind as I watched a clip from the 1969 film, Medium Cool. In this clip a young Black man, who sounds as though he could be speaking about our current events in 2021, speaks directly to the camera about Black people’s invisibility. As he speaks of frustration boiling over, he uses the phrase “the former invisible man.” In that moment the theme and title of my new work solidified in my mind: Formerly Invisible.
This work is a celebration of Black people. It is a celebration of our refusal to accept invisibility as our status. We don’t beg for approval. We shine. We teach. We reach. We assert. We exhort. We influence. We persist. We Love. We are beautiful.
– Marcus Kwame Anderson, 2021
