Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 23, 6pm
In We Outside, We Outchea, Kevin Hopkins employs painting to reflect on his upbringing within the Lowcountry, a coastal region of South Carolina. Here, he and his brothers used cartoons and anime to reimagine themselves in the marshland through collective daydreaming, negotiating and navigating fantastical scenarios without the persistent racial trauma that haunts Black individuals.
Nostalgic materials such as markers, glitter, and acrylic paint are sealed between layers of shellac as the work collages images of the Lowcountry with the imagined projections the siblings used to reenact action scenes and magic techniques. In these works, Hopkins not only highlights Black joy, but also considers how play can be an aspirational tool that allows Black children to claim the inherent importance of their favorite characters as a challenge to skepticism of Black youth's potential.
In select works, Hopkins furthers his exploration into activating daydreaming by making them tangible. By sewing and filling paintings with polyester fiber, Hopkins gives life to imagined personas, allowing them to activate space and function as charms that manifest the dreamed reality they represent. We Outside, We Outchea frames play and dreaming as generative strategies for claiming a liberated present and future.
By appointment only:
44 Great Russell St, WC1B 3JL
Work Enquiries:
Email: aviva@subtitlelabs.com
Whatsapp: +16479702736