MARCELLOUS LOVELACE

Artist Statement / Bio: Marcellous Lovelace the Afro Urban Indigenous Folk Artist

 

The art form that I practice is Painting in Mixed Media with Found Materials. I paint from my experience living on the South Side of Chicago and Living in Poverty stricken America. I use found objects throughout the world as reference of my surroundings in my work. I work on everything from old found pieces of paper, garbage cans, tires, mattresses and used construction material found from torn down buildings. My travels and growing us in Chicago a  diversely segregated environment it influences struggle and pain. I learned to call myself an Afro Urban Indigenous Folk Artist. The tragedies that occur in my city help me reinterpret the oppression on all surfaces.

 

I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago in a community called Roseland. This segregated poverty stricken environment helped me to develop over 400 images a year over the last 30 years of my life. My environment is so negative it helps me to create beauty form this struggle. I paint because it’s the only thing that feels good after feeling like I’m trapped in world that has no hope. I also have lived in place in Chicago known as Terror Town on the South Side of Chicago that is also highly populated with gang activity due to the fact the city really doesn't care about what happens to the underprivileged citizens in the city. Terror Town is near 75th and Exchange off of South Shore Drive, in this area I painted a large portion of my work in a residence that was controlled by drug addicts and bombarded by roaches. Many of these pests and addicts ended up being a part of my work. For most of my adult life I have worked on Art regardless of the situation and I always will because these colorful problems help me to continue to see through the blight. Marcellous Lovelace

 

About

 

Born Chicago, IL 1975; attended The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN; 

 

Select Shows -  2017 University Art Gallery, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM , 2017 WBAI Benefit, Chesterfield Gallery, New York, Ny, 2017 we transfer show ello.co (Internet), 2016 #Biko70 Lumumba Blacker Than Space / Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), 2015 The Hue #biko70 / HW Chicago Public Library (Chicago, IL), 2015 The Black Artists on Art (BAOA) Legacy Exhibition (Novato, CA), 2015 The Artivist Rises: an exhibition honoring protest art (New York, NY), 2015 Brooks Museum / Artist as Activist (Memphis, TN), 2015 ( ( parentheses ) ) ) Gallery /Summer Show  (Halifax, Canada), 2015 The Black Artists on Art Legacy Exhibit Oak Stop (Oakland, CA), 2015 Black History Month Group Show / Elee Mosynary Gallery (Chicago, IL), 2015 Black History Exhibit Africa International House (Chicago, IL), 2015 Re: sent work. Summer Group Show Parentheses (Halifax, Nova Scotia), 2015 I dream of … Exhibition / Incline Gallery (San Francisco, CA), 2015 I dream of … Exhibition / ArTik (Freiburg, Germany), 2014 Stigmart10 / VIDEOFOCUS Biennale College, Venezia, Italy,2014 International Mail Exhibition /  Q Gallery, Brainerd, MN2014 6th Annual Post Card Show /Auer Center For Arts and Culture , Fort Wayne, IN, 2014 I dream of … Exhibition / Incline Gallery  San Francisco, CA, 2014 I dream of … Exhibition / ArTik , Freiburg, Germany 2014 Exposed Emotion: Broken Narratives / Kishwaukee College Gallery ,Malta, IL, 2014 All of Us or None (Poster Show)  / American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia, PA, 2012 Du Sable Museum, Chicago, IL, 2013 Gallery Seven-Nine Co / Chicago's 18th Annual Artist Month, Chicago, IL, 2013 Elephant Room, Chicago, IL, 2013 Voices Warehouse Gallery , Dubuque, IA , 2013 Evens Odds MEMEZ4LULZ show, St Petersburg, Fl, Five Myles Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, 2012 Stones Throw Records, Los Angeles, Ca, 2012 Life over Aids 2nd Group Show at Caritas Village, Memphis,Tn, 2012 Exposed Emotions In Color – Solo Show, Memphis,Tn, 2012 Exhale Unlimited: Twitter Art Exhibit, Los Angeles, Ca, 2011 Silver Room Block Party Art Showing, Chicago, IL, 2011 Billboard Project, New Orleans, LA, 2011 A.I.R. Gallery 4x6 Show, New York, NY, 2011 Frick and Frock Art Show, Nancy, France, 2010 Zombie Resurrection of Fela Kuti Group Show, San Francisco, CA, 2010 Life Over Aids Group Show at Caritas Village, Memphis, TN, 2008 Fall into The Arts (Illinois Wesleyan University), Normal, IL, 2006 San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, 2005 Headlands Group Show, San Mateo, CA, 2005 The University Of Memphis African Diaspora, Memphis, TN, 2003 Griffin Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2002 The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2001 The Museum Of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL

 

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