To Ellington Robinson, painting is a physical, psychological, and spiritual experience, which includes a formal process and a narrative approach. By contorting and layering collected materials such as travel documents, vinyl, record sleeves, and cassette tapes, Robinson’s works evolve and embody his quest.
In his new work Robinson explores the ways by which people reach their physical and socioeconomic location. He asks: “How do we arrive at our longitude, latitude, and altitude? What determines our height, width, and depth within time zones.” Robinson recognizes that planes, trains and cars, religion, education, and labels are agents in our migration, while also acknowledging a celestial agent where the ancestors dwell in eternity and parallel universes. He employs interoffice envelopes where the names of ancestors, musicians, freedom fighters, and literati are inscribed as a way of stating a common thread; or cassette tapes in which the voices are there but cannot be seen or heard. Further, Robinson draws from the study of his own location and travels. Railroad tracks and floorboards of inner city row-homes are distinctive from the horizon of the ocean in the Virgin Islands, visually representing the contrast between the two places Robinson has called home.
Ellington Robinson earned his M.F.A. in painting and mix media at the University of Maryland, College Park and his B.A. in English from Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA. His work is in public and private collections including The David C. Driskell Center and the Jean and Robert Steele Collection. Robinson currently lives and works in Washington DC.
Image credit: A Mental Note, 2011 acrylic, collage, ink, oil, on canvas 48" x 48"
Project 4
1353 U Street NW, 3rd floor, Washington, DC 20009
202 232 4340
http://www.project4gallery.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment