Men and Politics

The works of Emory Douglas, Rigo 23, and David Goldblatt are rich in messages of political change and social awareness. Each artist takes on a personal battle with injustices they've witnessed and eventually found themselves compelled to address. Douglas's lithographic prints and publications scream at the top of their "lungs" chants of self-dependence for African-Americans- whose place in American society at the time was substandard to Whites. Goldblatt's large scale color prints and black and white photos although not as "loud" spoke in volumes. His portraits are thoughtful depictions of the unspoken tales of Afrikaan and African--together. Rigo 23 took to installations to develop his opinions and ideas into something tangible. Recreated symbols of incarceration, or jail cells, littered the stair well of the museum, briefly jarring the viewer out of their own worlds and into the small spaces and perhaps mindset of those once imprisoned over political reasons. Each man took their views and executed them in a potent, witty, and unique way.

-N.b