Award-winning artist Aminah Robinson’s works on display in “Winter Selections” at Hammond Harkins Galleries. | Credit: Hammond Harkins Galleries
In honor of Black History Month, Hammond Harkins Galleries’ “Winter Selections” exhibition showcases a diverse assortment of art inspired by Black history and culture through March 12.
The exhibit at Hammond Harkins Galleries, located at 641 N. High St., will include the life works of award-winning multimedia artist Aminah Robinson and the work of visual artist Annie Chrissy Burley. Born Feb. 18, 1940, Robinson was a Columbus-based artist who used unconventional materials — such as fibers, buttons and even music boxes to create paintings, sculptures and fabric works — until her death in 2015, Chet Domitz, Hammond Harkins Galleries associate, said.
Hammond Harkins designed “Winter Selections” to display an all-encompassing range of styles and mediums from landscapes, still lifes, abstract works, sculptures, paper works and fabric works. The contributions of 19 artists represent creators of all ages and backgrounds, Domitz said.
In dedication to what would have been Robinson’s 83rd birthday in addition to Black History Month, a section of Hammond Harkins’ current exhibition captures the progression of Robinson’s artistic career, Domitz said.
“We have works from when she was very young — I think the youngest is when she was 10 — and then we have a much larger, very different kind of work that is more of a monumental figure that Aminah did in honor of the women of the Blackberry Patch, which was a community that was part of Columbus’ Poindexter Village,” Domitz said.
Burley — who works with paint skins, pen drawings and animation — said her piece in the exhibition, “Hole in this Theory,” explores the image-bearing nature of Black women.
Burley’s animated character in “Hole in this Theory” was inspired by the Japanese anime television series “Neon Genesis Evangelion” and its main female character, Rei Ayanami, she said. The inspiration stemmed from the contrast between the ways in which Black women are displayed in media as opposed to female Japanese anime characters like Ayanami.
“There are certain stereotypical representations of African American women that don’t have a specific nuance that’s granted to other characters of other races, for instance,” Burley said.
While Ayanami and similar anime characters are depicted as delicate and feminine, Burley said Black women are often confined to what she refers to as the “big Black woman” archetype, which defines Black women as loud, boisterous and hypersexual.
“[Ayanami] had a lot of bandages on, coming from that sense of that fragility. She’s commonly represented as this walking-talking-bandaged-up, cute, beautiful, mysterious Asian woman,” Burley said. “They’re vulnerable, soft, always needing to be saved in a sense but also being, apparently, this God-like being.”
“Hole in this Theory” depicts the overlapping of these two contrasting archetypes. To drive home her message, Burley said she named her character Aniya, similar in sound to Ayanami Rei, the backward version of the name Ayanami.
“This piece itself, I was taking those ideas with this character design I made and merging,” Burley said. “She’s literally the character design of the big Black woman trope, but she is redrawn in poses from ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’s’ character, Rei Ayanami.”
Physical holes made of brass cover the entirety of the character depicted in “Hole in this Theory,” Burley said. These holes tie into the name of the piece, represent how this perspective on stereotypes doesn’t apply to every situation and relate to Black femicide and violence in the Black community, Burley said.
Domitz said “Winter Selection” visitors will have the opportunity to learn about artists — like Robinson and Burley — and experience their work in the same space, despite their differences in technique. The strength and variety of the pieces and their messages give the exhibition character, Domitz said.
“No matter what the mode is that the artist is working in, it can be very simple, very minimal, or it can be a lot more involved and there will still be quality in the artist’s intention and the final product,” Domitz said. “I’m just amazed at how much good work there is that we can still show in the off-season, and it’s a nice surprise. It’s a very good show, some incredibly strong works.”
Burley said the diversification of the exhibition will allow guests and potential buyers to get to know local artists and have fun exploring their creations and messages.
“Some people really just want to view the art and enjoy the art that’s on the wall,” Burley said. “That’s the impact for the public is just being able to really enjoy. Some downtime to really enjoy the work and the artists who are there in the gallery.”
“Winter Selections” will be on display at Hammond Harkins Galleries through March 12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from 1-5 p.m. Sundays.
