21c Museum and Hotel in Louisville Ky is a modern art museum that is on the bleeding edge of the art world. At the time of this writing their walls are adorned with some breathtaking works from a diverse selection of artists. The vibe and atmosphere of the museum screams contemporary, modern, classy. With works on exhibit from artists such as the armed and deadly sculptures from Al Farrow, Kehinde Wiley’s Africanization of European old masters, the engineering feats of Humans Since Clock Clock, Miguel Angel Rojas’s hyper real depictions of Michelangelo's David, Mohau Modisakeng’s dangerous and human self portraits, Fabiano Parsi’s perspective bending photography. The works I’ll cover here in this exhibition review are just a small part of the excellence the 21c Museum has on display. I hope if anything to entice you to check this fantastic facility out for yourself.
Al Farrow: Wrath and Reverence
21c is a very fascinating place. There are two main entrances to the building, one for the restaurant and bar and another that leads to the hotel front desk and the gallery. Although I won’t cover it much here the bar and restaurant are worth visiting as they have immortalized various people in their waitstaff in artworks which hang on the walls. Very interesting interaction between the art and the subjects of these artworks as they are on the wall and physically accessible while you dine or drink. I won't talk much more about that here but be sure to make it a point to experience this unique arrangement. The main focus of this review however, begins at the main entrance to the hotel/gallery where a doorman is waiting to greet you and answer any questions you may have. Front and center through the double doors the gallery unfolds. On open display is ”Wrath and Reverence”, a collection of architectural sculptures by artist Al Farrow. Farrow’s work consists of meticulously crafted religious structures, made from materials such as deconstructed guns, bullets, bone, glass and steel. The structures include highly detailed sculptures of churches, synagogues, mosques and mausoleums all crafted with tools of war.Farrow attempts to link the destruction of cultural heritage to human loss. 
From afar these miniature structures closely resemble their real life counterparts. The structures range from 2-5 square feet wide and from 2-6 feet tall. Many of the structures have large towers and arches that resend into elaborately decorated doorways. They appear to be identical reproductions of holy sites from around the globe. Upon taking a closer look you find that these structures are created from various munitions and other tools of war. There are floors made from bullet casings, towers and steeples made from modified gun barrels, grenade casings (hopefully spent) and various other weapons. The use of these violent tools to construct replicas of holy spaces links war to religion and aesthetics. Farrow’s body of work raises the question, will war yield to anything scared? The dome of one of the structures that resemble a middle eastern mosque is constructed skillfully with bullet casings which have been polished to a shining copper color. The walls of the structure employ more bullets with a greenish tarnish. The front of the structure appears to be a beautiful facade of a mosque, only upon viewing the back side of the structure do you find the damage to the dome. There is a hole that appears to have been blown away by a mortar shell or missile. There is rubble from the destruction and even discoloration that appears to be caused by the explosive force of some bomb or mortar shell. The beauty of the structure and its concealed destruction and use of destructive materials in its construction create a unique look into war, politics and religion and how those concepts rely on each other and maintain their existence.
Kehinde Wiley: The Prophet and the King II
Kehinde Wiley’s The Prophet and the King II, is a monumental oil painting of a Black man, dressed in fine street attire, posed as a European king would be in a Renaissance painting. The subject is posed with his right hand pointing toward the heavens and his left hand extended to his side. He’s dressed in a white flat billed fitted cap, a bright green patterned jacket, a white tee shirt with a gold chained madalin locket, a chrome belt buckle secures his white pressed pants. Everything about the subject’s style says Black African American culture. His facial expression is confident, head held high allowing his eyes to look slightly downward over his nose at the viewer as if to say ‘I am King’. The background is a bright contrasting red/orange color with a floral pattern that at points pop out from the background to cover parts of the subject. This painting places power in the image of a Black man. In a time where images of Black men are often riddled with bullet holes, accusations of criminal activity and lust this painting offers a loud and ambitious challenge to those notions. The choice of Wiley to paint his model in his own clothing gives agency and power to the subject. Allowing him to assert his presence in the world as valid and worthy of praise. This piece speaks to the defamation of African American character that is rampant in American news media and popular culture. The sheer scale of the painting is larger than life adds to the idea of empowering Black Americans and elevating their culture, which is so often consumed and demonized. A brilliant inclusion to the gallery at 21c.
Phillip Andrew Lewis Synonym 000252
Phillip Andrew Lewis’s Synonym 000252, is a video artwork that focuses on endurance and synchronicity while referencing group mentality and power dynamics. The video is a series of scenes depicting a group of young men having their every move dictated by an authoritative off screen voice. The young men are marched into various rooms in complete sync. Their movements are rehearsed and resemble military marching drills or marching band drills. The young men are given a directive from an authoritarian voice somewhere off screen then they perform their commanded task until it is complete or until they receive another directive from the off screen voice. The rooms they inhabit are cold stone and bare. They all wear identical white pants and shirts with black shoes and a black belt. The scenes depicted reflect power dynamics found in many institutions from hospitals, prisons, team sports, militaries and even marching bands. There is no deviation from the formations the young men create nor any deviations from the uniforms they wear. Lewis work is inspired by time he spent in an involuntary drug rehab program where he was subjected to extreme methods of sensory deprivation and systems of control. The 18m video is chilling due to the young age of the men, their precision drills and mainly because of the lack of apparent reason for the uniformity. It is the inclusion of modern mediums such as this that really add to the notion of 21c as the embodiment of modernism.
Miguel Angel Rojas David
On the sidewalk in front of the 21c hotel and museum, stands a nearly two story tall, gold painted, statue of David. This gaudy monument is in stark contrast to Miguel Angel Rojas’ David, which sits inside of the 21c gallery. Rojas uses an eighteen-year-old Colombian soldier to pose for this photographic work. The soldier stands posed as Michelangelo’s statue of David atop of a small, cubic, concrete pedestal. There are three life sized photos in the series and in each the angle of the subject is slightly changed. The subject appears naked and powerful in the image of David, Rojas has decided to print the photos in black and white all which helps to make the subject look more statuesque. However the power in this series comes from what the subject lacks, a right leg. The leg appears to have been amputated just below the right knee. In Rojas’s artist statement he gives some more insight and context to the piece and his choice of model by revealing that the model was in fact a soldier in the Colombian civil war. He also reveals that because the young man was not born into wealth and had little education he was chosen for the front lines of this violent conflict. Rojas attempted to create a bridge between art history, personal experience and the horrors of war. The aesthetic beauty of the piece is captured with the model’s nude boyish form, Rojas’ decision to print in black and white and the gentle dramatics in the lighting. The context surrounding this Colombian soldier only adds to the overall beauty of the piece. It makes me question what we sacrifice in war and conflict, especially when it is within our own communities. While at first glance one may be captivated by the beauty of the aesthetics of Rojas’ David, after reading the artist statement and learning about the context of the piece, I was left feeling a deep sadness and a need to empathize with the subject. Perhaps the purpose of this piece is to get the viewer to feel and then to extend empathy to their ideological enemies before it’s too late. Maybe it acts as a cautionary tale, warning of what is at stake when ideologies become violently divided.
Mohau Modisakeng Ditaola VI
This magnificent self portrait photo sits gracefully above the doors to one of the many gallery spaces in the 21c gallery. The image is of the dark and black artist Mohau Modisakeng. This South African artist uses self-portraiture to explore his own identity as a black man in post-apartheid South Africa. In this work Modisakeng poses shirtless, using both hands to hold onto a long rifle that is resting upon his shoulders. Modisakeng is peering over his left shoulder and down near the end of the rifle sits a white dove flapping its wings. The juxtaposition; of Modisakengs’ dark, ultra black skin next to the feathers of the white dove; of the symbolic violence of his black skin and rife next to this symbol of peace and love; both highlights and dismantles ideas of the black body as inherently violent or incapable. The figures are set upon a textureless green background. The inclusion of black art by the 21c curators is probably the most inspiring and definitive statement of modernism. The art world is often seen as a space that is exclusive to white bodies and ideas, and 21c’s inclusion of these and other black artists are bold and demanding challenges to those outdated notions. Dare I say that black is the new modern art?
In closing I want to express to you that I have thoroughly enjoyed consuming both the bourbon and the art here at 21c. For this review I visited the gallery three times and would love to share all that I discovered while I was here but time and word counts prevent that. I highly recommend the gallery to anyone in Louisville Ky, whether they be just stopping through or are long time residents. I especially want to encourage people of color to check out the gallery space and become inspired by the heights of creativity that can be reached. Until next time, stay creating.
- Paul Robey
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