ICONIC: Black Panther

Presented by SEPIA Collective, Zack De La Rocha, Razor Step, in association with Road to Artdom

Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles

By Amy Kaeser

Through May 14th

“50 Artists Interpret 50 Years of the Black Panther Party,” is the subscript for a show dedicated to the Black Panther Party (BPP) and their publication, Black Panther. As the largest show ever devoted to the BPP, ICONIC: Black Panther at Gregorio Escalante Gallery in Los Angeles’ Chinatown district, showcases artist’s whose work engages with the legacy of BPP, the Civil Rights Movement, social justice, the Black Lives Matter movement, racism and gender discrimination, and minority visibility in the media. The organizers of ICONIC, the SEPIA Collective, a Los Angeles-based, non-profit group of multi-cultural artists, activists, and curators celebrates the history and significant, albeit controversial, Black Panthers.

Founded in 1966 in Oakland, CA by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, the organization, initially called Black Panther Party for Self-Defiance is an African American revolutionary party founded to patrol neighborhoods and protect residents from police brutality. The significance in highlighting the BPP now cannot be understated—from Ferguson and the unjust killing of Michael Brown to the 25th anniversary of the L.A. Riots—the work in the show speaks loud and clear to the unequal treatment of African-Americans in this country and the visibility of police brutality in the age of social media.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Shepard Fairey Bobby Seale 2004 Silkscreen and mixed media collage on paper, HPM. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Sundus Abdul Hadi This is Not Haifa Street 2010 Mixed media on canvas. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Keith Walsh Black Liberation and Socialism 2017 Ink and Flashe on paper. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Emory Douglas Dare to Struggle 2017 Original hand painted on canvas board. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

Three separate spaces display the work of the fifty artists who contributed work for ICONIC. Well-established, mid-career artists (Shepard Fairey, Sundus Abdul Hadi, Keith Walsh, and Emory Douglas, who is an early member of BPP and created images for the Black Panther publication) as well as emerging artists (Ryan McCann, Tsilil Tsemet) create works that directly reference BPP or engage in a discourse on social justice. Fairey’s Bobby Seal (2004) a silkscreened, mixed media collage, is the image that greets visitors to the gallery as well as the homepage and sent postcard media. In his “signature style,” Fairey represents Seale in the red and black tones, the “OBEY” slogan prominently positioned at the center of the credo, “Peace, Obey, Freedom.” Keith Walsh’s Black Liberation and Socialism (2017), ink and flashe on paper, considers the relationships between activists and organizations with Huey P. Newton as the central figure. Tatiana El-Khouri’s Angela Davis (2017), mixed media on canvas, combines collaged images of Davis and BPP in headlines and news articles, “Free Angela” leaflets, and demonstration flyers with a portrait of Davis overlaid in tones of blues and greens. Regarding the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” cry calling attention to police brutality, Pilar Aguero-Esparza’s Ferguson 7: Sepia and Mahogany (2017), crayon, color pencil on paper, is a simple yet powerful image of resistance.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Tslil Tsemet The Dark Side 2017 Oil on canvas. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Ryan McCann Evidence of Assault 2017 Blowtorch and acrylic on wood. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther is currently on view at Gregorio Escalante Gallery until May 14th, 2017, events throughout the duration of the show include a luncheon May 6th from 2-4 PM with food provided by Locol and Trap Kitchen. A closing reception will take place May 14th from 2-5 PM.

Gregorio Escalante Gallery

978 Chung King Rd.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(323) 697-8727

GALLERY HOURS: WED-SUN 1PM-6PM

http://www.gregorioescalante.com

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Ali Al Sharji. From Home to Home / 2017, Digital print. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Laurel Shear. Afeni Shakur. 2017. Oil on canvas. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. DOSSHAUS Ain’t Got No…I Got Life 2015 Cardboard, acrylic. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Jessica Alazraki, House 2017 Oil on canvas. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Alile Sharon Larkin (L.A. Rebellion) The Kitchen 1975 8mm, b/w film. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Muhammad Ali The Ring 2003 Ink drawing on paper. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Kevin Bradley Clay vs United States 2016 Letterpress print. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Blackat Bullet The Blue Sky 1988 Acrylic gouache on poster board. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. The Beast Brothers Igualdad Cósmica 2017 Oil paint and mixed media. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Enkone Bunchy Carter 2016 Acrylic on canvas. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Toni Scott Riding with Rosa 2017 Mixed media collage. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Lili Bernard Self-Portrait in Straight Jacket Surround by 7 Potencias Africanas with Kathleen Cleaver as La Virgen de La Candelaria and Assata Shakur as La Orisha Oya-Yansa 2017 Oil on canvas. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Jermaine Rogers Uncle 2009 (embellished 2017) India ink on cold press illustration board. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. February James Baldwin 2017 Mixed media on paper. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Ben Caldwell (L.A. Rebellion) Babylon Falling 1982 Film and video collage. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. April Bey Share If You Agree (Sista Dolezal) 2016 Handmade paper made with students from Destiny Girls Academy, Los Angeles, CA, hand marbled paper made in workshop at The California African American Museum, hand sewing, oil paint, laser print on psychologically damaged red matboard and a punk ass frame. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Kristen Downing Black Power 2017 Pen and marker on art paper. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Jonathan Blackwell Pick Fros 2017 Acrylic on wood panel. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Aise Born All Power to the People 2014 Mixed media. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Aisha Tandiwe Bell Breaking Head 2012 Digital video. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Dana King Archangel of the Forest 2015 Plaster, fiberglass, steel rods, oil paint. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Jeff Gillette Detroit 1997 (w/ black Black Panther logo) Detroit 2017 (w/ rainbow Black Panther logo) 2017 Acrylic on canvas diptych. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Dewey Tafoya Continual Movement 2017 Serigraph . Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Justin Dixon ICONIC We 2017 Acrylic on plastic urethane on canvas. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Shepard Fairey Don’t Be a MFR 2015 Silkscreen on wood panel. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Enkone Truce 2017 Mixed media on board. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Mahara Sinclaire Exploring the Feminine 2017 Acrylic. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Craig Larotonda. Fight The Power 2017 Acrylic and oil on wood. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Shepard Fairey Poster Poster. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Samella Lewis Poster Poster. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Shepard Fairey My Florist is a Dick 2015 Silkscreen on wood panel. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Aisha Tandiwe Bell. aint I’m Clean 2012 Digital video (8:10). Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Lexx Valdez and Jean Melesaine From Oakland to Auckland 2017 Digital luster print. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Michael Massenburg Field of Dreams 2016 Acrylic painting and collage. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. David Mosley Warrior For Justice 2017 Charcoal on paper. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Mohammed Mubarak Vanguard Sister 2017 Oil and acrylic. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Noni Olabisi In His Image 2017 Iris print on canvas. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Pilar Agüero-Esparza Ferguson 7: Sepia and Mahogany 2017 Crayon, color pencil on paper. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. DOSSHAUS Pieces of a Man 2017 Cardboard, paper, acrylic. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. April Banks Redacted Bodies 2017 Encaustic and paper on wood panel. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Richard Duardo + Lekit Im Radical 2014 Silkscreen print. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Robbie Conal James Baldwin 2017 Oil and acrylic on illustration board. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Samella Lewis I See You 2005 Linocut. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Samella Lewis in collabortion with Maya Angelou Together We Stand 2016 Hand embellished print with handwritten note signed by Maya Angelou. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Shepard Fairey My Florist is a Dick 2015 Silkscreen on wood panel 24” x 18” $2,900 Edition AP Samira Idroos Can U C The Pride in the Panther 2017 Mixed media. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Tatiana El-Khouri Angela Davis 2017 Mixed media on canvas. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Robin Strayhorn The Beauty Hidden in the Horrible 2017 Acrylic and oil on canvas. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Mark Bryan The Nightmare 2017 Stretched canvas print. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Timothy Robert Smith Checkpoint (of no return) 2017 Oil on wood. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. J. Michael Walker Feeding the Poor is a Sacred Act (Patricia, L.A., 1968) 2017 Color pencil, collage on unique print. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.

ICONIC: Black Panther. Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Zeal Harris Husband’s Cousin 2017 Dye sublimation on fabric with glue and sequin trim. Photo Courtesy of Sepia Collective and The Artist.