Black Alchemy by Aaron Turner

Black Alchemy approaches identity, racial passing, abstraction, the historical archive, ontology, and the studio while also thinking about the black artist as subject and blackness as material. The lens of Black Alchemy explores what "black art" is and what a black artist is in the context of representation of the black experience. It also addresses the discourse of photography, and radical movement re-questioning social and racial justice, while engaging abstraction as a tool to shift questions of identity within an established, often monolithic historical narrative. Various historical issues are pursued through a large format 4in x 5in view camera of constructed spaces and installations within the studio. The photos build a physical representation of my internal monologue about abstraction, race, history, and my response to found artifacts in the studio.

In an article titled 'Why, it's not enough to say black is beautiful' by Frank Bowling (1971) stated: "the traditional aesthetic of black art is often considered pragmatic, uncluttered, and direct, hinging on secrecy and disguise." Bowling's statement resonates with me and how I engage with representation in art through photography. In my work, I use abstraction to consider the following ideas, thoughts, or questions:

– To shift the analysis away from or toward the black artist as subject.
– Emphasize blackness as material, insisting on blackness as a multiplicity.
– What the color black/black art does in the world without conflating it
– Consider those who understand blackness from within a system that deems them black, which are black people or black artists.
– Consider/understand that Art History and American history often reflect an established singular historical narrative or monolithic subjectivity.

References:
It’s Not Enough to Say Black Is Beautiful by Frank Bowling (Art News, 1971)
Blackness in Abstraction by Adrienne Edwards (Art in America, 2015)

Aaron Turner lives and works in Springdale, Arkansas.
To view more work, please visit www.aaronturner.studio