T. Elliot Mansa, born in Miami, is a product of Miami-Dade's magnet
programs. Home was a very different place than school. At home in
the early 80's he watched as his stepfather grappled with crack
addiction. In school Mansa began to navigate the dichotomy of these
two worlds. He began to use Art as a place to question these
contradictions around him. Though he graduated from the esteemed New
World School of the Arts, Mansa still had to avoid the ever-present temptations
of gangs and drugs. Despite watching a number of his friends dabble
in the drug trade, some even falling to gun violence along the way, the
temptation to follow in this illicit life path for Mansa was real.
After battling depression following the death of his mother,
Mansa again looked to painting. He explored auto-biographical tropes in
his Mother/Son series. Logically, Mansa began to explore his relationship
with his father in his work. It seemed painting was becoming his saving
grace. Looking at his own life Mansa saw that through Art he had been
able to accomplish more than his peers around him; namely, he had managed to
graduate college and avoid the label of felon, two things his siblings had been
unable to achieve.
As Mansa questioned the relationships between Sons and Fathers and ideas behind the worship of 'the hustler' in hip-hop's urban culture, he was able to draw closer to his brothers and father. This was a fleeting joy. Unfortunately on Easter Sunday, Mansa would lose his father to cancer as well. Mansa received his notice of acceptance to Yale the night before his father's funeral.
As Mansa questioned the relationships between Sons and Fathers and ideas behind the worship of 'the hustler' in hip-hop's urban culture, he was able to draw closer to his brothers and father. This was a fleeting joy. Unfortunately on Easter Sunday, Mansa would lose his father to cancer as well. Mansa received his notice of acceptance to Yale the night before his father's funeral.
T. Eliott Mansa will be exhibiting recent portraits that
bridge the gaps between sociological and autobiographical narratives, mixed
with elements from the mythologies of the West African Yoruba cosmology.
The figures painted in acrylic, often of family and friends, emerge in rich
details from graphite washes. These young men, brothers, uncles and
father(s) of the artist, are all convicted felons. The paintings portray
the subjects, often African-American men, both in urban settings and as African
deities, or Orishas, using the metaphor of possession to
examine the role of hero-worship in Mansa's subjects' socialization.
To celebrate the wonderful news that Miami based artist T.
Elliot Mansa was accepted into the prestigious Yale painting MFA program, the
BFI #BigFutureInitiative is hosting an exhibition of his newest work. Please note,
this is a fundraising exhibition: All profits from every sale of Mansa's
Artwork will go directly to help fund Mansa's expenses while at
Yale.
Opening Reception Friday April 26, 7pm - 9pm
April 26th - May 8th, open by appointment only
for appointments, contact info@basfisherinvitational.com
BFI #BigFutureInitiative
100 Northeast 11th Street
Miami, FL 33132
Miami, FL 33132
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