QUENTIN WILLIAM SLEDGE
ART
Inspired by the Afro-Futurist movement, Quentin creates art that has a cultural component relevant to the African and African American diaspora. He composes images with vibrant colors and dramatic contrast to depict forms that are often rooted in lore or africanist aesthetics.
QUENTIN WILLIAM SLEDGE
ART
Inspired by the Afro-Futurist movement, Quentin creates art that has a cultural component relevant to the African and African American diaspora. He composes images with vibrant colors and dramatic contrast to depict forms that are often rooted in lore or africanist aesthetics.
“Cosmic Mother”
Cosmic Mother came about after a horrible car accident that the artist experienced. In the aftermath of that accident, 4 women came to his aid acting as surrogate mothers to teach him about the process of rebuilding himself. This piece features a depiction of a mask which carries multiple works on her head. She wears a cosmic crown, visor, and bejeweled collar. She guides with intuition, inner wisdom, and universal love.
“Twi and La”
Twi and La is a work that is reflective of duality, in the foreground is a cosmic shamanic woman. Her blue skin features stars and cloud nebula and she is protected by a bejeweled grand boubou and bone mask. In the background we see her shadow, the male mask which holds the repressed desires, truths, and trauma. He is never far from her because she is in love of her shadow, his darkness allows her to shine.
“Fibonacci”
“Techno Path”
“Star Garden”
“And she held the light with darkened eyes”
This work is from a graphite series in which the artist created a visual representation of the woman who inspired it. The text reads “A shame the beauty never sees herself.”
“Ace of Pisces”
“Tortuga”
“Damballa Wedo”
“Queen Cotton”
Inspired by the Vodun story of Damballa-Wedo, the artist chose to juxtapose the ferocity of a black viper against the softness of a chrysanthemum flower. There are several pairs featured in the work which are representative of the pair of opposites, light and dark, softness and ferocity, Damballa (male) and Wedo (female).
A part of Quentin’s early work, Queen Cotton features a gradient of colors in the background, a “funky” tree painted in black and brown to represent the bodies used to harvest the cotton which form the trees foliage, and 3 calla Lillies representing the past, present, and future.
“Between the River and the Nebula”
This work is a natural scene scape composed of many living elements. It is a part of a series focused on the symbols and wisdom inherent in the stars, trees, flowers and bodies of water so characteristic of our world. The artist draws connections between the inner and outer worlds of human life on earth and the unknown would of space.