#drexcyen

[artbookdap]

We ❤️ the @fireleibaez painting "Towards an unseen force," 2019, installed in “A Drexcyen chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways) also 2019, at @jamescohangallery ⁠This detail of the installation is reproduced from new release 'Firelei Báez: to breathe full and free,' launching 3PM tomorrow at ⁠James Cohan Gallery, 48 Walker Street, NYC⁠. Get your copy signed by the artist!⁠ This event is free and open to the public.⁠ ⁠ Collecting a decade's worth of paintings, sculptural commissions, immersive installations and more than 150 works on paper, plus scholarly essays and interviews by some of the top curators and art historians of our time—including Carla Acevedo-Yates, Mark Godfrey, Legacy Russell, Thelma Golden and Eva Respini—'to breathe full and free' is a tour de force and a must for all serious contemporary art bookshelves.⁠ ⁠ Edited by @dlouisnorr ⁠ Designed by @mikomcginty ⁠ Published by @gregoryrmiller ⁠ Text by @carlaacevedoyates @markgodfrey1973 & @ellerustle Interviews by @thelmagolden & @curator_on_the_run ⁠ ⁠ ⁠More info via linkinbio.⁠ ⁠ #fireleibaez #fireleibaezbook #fireleibaeztobreathefullandfree ⁠#fireleibaeztowardsanunseenforce #towardsanunseenforce https://www.instagram.com/p/CmOuoWsutCo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bellus-spiritus]

@fireleibaez #FireleiBaez @jamescohangallery "A Drexcyen Chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways)," an exhibition of new work by #FireleiBáez. Acknowledging the reciprocal nature of migration as a non-linear course of movement, Báez creates sites of connectivity, where overlapping histories and modes of understanding coexist. For "A Drexcyen Chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways)," the artist has created an immersive installation in the main gallery that spreads into the reception area. The space is cocooned in hand-perforated blue tarp—often used for temporary shelter, and thus a symbol of both disaster and refuge—casting light onto material patterned with black diasporic symbols of nurturing and resistance. Overhead is a geo-specific map of the stars as they appeared in the night sky at the onset of the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804). A successful uprising led by self-liberated enslaved people against the French colonial government in Saint-Domingue, the Haitian Revolution was an early precursor to abolition movements internationally and had an indelible—if often unacknowledged—impact on the ideological and geopolitical landscape of the 19th century world. The installation’s oceanic quality suggests the broader history of black diaspora and the Middle Passage, in relationship to Glissant’s theory of the ocean as a connector and a repository of physical memory. . . Detail: FIRELEI BÁEZ, "A Drexcyen chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways)," 2019. Two paintings, hand-painted wooden frame, perforated tarp, printed mesh, handmade paper over found objects, plants, books, Oman incense, palo santo. . . . . #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #installation #drexcyen #drexciya #jamescohangallery #lowereastside #artcollector #artadvisor #joakimvonditmar (at James Cohan Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw5rdD7lZf5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=b7bse29dw7ee

[newyorkarttours]

Firelei Baez at James Cohan Gallery

Under a recreation of the night sky as it appeared at the start of the Haitian Revolution, Firelei Baez presents a dramatic installation at James Cohan Gallery’s Lower East Side space featuring empowered female figures who assert their presence in the gallery and in history. Wearing a tignon that refers to the 18th century legal requirement for African-diasporic women to cover their hair, this casually posed yet regal figure lacks a mouth yet speaks with her eyes. (On view through June 16th). Firelei Baez, installation view of A Drexcyen Chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways) at James Cohan Gallery on the Lower East Side, April 2019.

[evilthotiana]

drexciya is amazing bc they make songs named “Journey To The Lair Of The Drexcyen Diver” and it’s just 6 minutes of the best detroit techno you’ve ever heard

[mia-vienne]

Nicole Awai

Nicole Awai, Reclaimed Water, Buffalo Bayou, Houston, Texas installation

Firelei Baez, A Drexcyen chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways), 2019, Two paintings, hand-painted wooden frame, perforated tarp, printed mesh, handmade paper over found objects, plants, books, Oman incense, palo santo

Nicole Awai, Persistent Resistance of the Liquid Land, installation

nov 2 2020

Nicole Awai’s lecture introduced me to new materials which can be used to create fine art. When listening to her creative process, I recognized that Awai uses a lot of nail polish in her paintings. She compared this medium to the use of oil paint saying how much more challenging it is to work with when considering its quick drying. The idea of using a material like oil paint reminded me of Mickalene Thomas, an artist I am focusing on in one of my art history courses. In an interview with Thomas, she claimed that her work uses felt and rhinestones along with many collage techniques because it was a way of problem solving. She learned that these less expensive materials could be used to create fine art, even if they are bought from a craft store. Both Awai and Thomas think outside of the box and present unique methods of creating work. 

The use of diverse media also allows for the audience to be immersed in Awai’s work. Persistent Resistance of the Liquid Land is an installation that fills a corner of the space. The work embodies the concept of transformation but also brings the audience into a state of flux, allowing them the ability to transform. The sense of immersion and tranformation reminded me of other installations, such as Firelei Baez’s A Drexcyen chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways). Baez’s work brings the audience into a unique space surrounding them with the art and passion in the work.

While Awai has a unique process in her work, she also presents important ideas and beliefs in her pieces. On Nicole Awai’s website, she states that “Employing diverse media, [allows her to] transform non-conventional materials [and] create visual layered statements about the body, gender, race, and the environment.” Like Nicholas Galanin, Awai considers monuments as a subject for several of her pieces. For example, Reclaimed Water is a work that debates the Christopher Columbus monument which, unlike other monuments praising colonialism, was left standing in New York City. Her other pieces also consider the intentions and purpose of monuments and whether or not the individuals, movements or time periods depicted are ones that deserve to be glorified.

[liviaarts]

FIRELEI BÁEZ

A Drexcyen chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways) 2019

Two paintings, hand-painted wooden frame, perforated tarp, printed mesh, handmade paper over found objects, plants, books, Oman incense, palo santo

Initially I was draw to this piece in an immediate somewhat unconscious thought of “ohhh I really like how this looks”. Without knowing anything about the artist apart from her name, my attention was focused on the pure visuals of the piece. I love the beautiful monochrome shades of blue contrasted by the colorful figure tucked between the folds. The blue reminds me of the night sky with the delicate cutouts like stars, or of glaciers where the light seeps through the ice illuminating it from behind, or of waves on the sea. 

After my initial uninformed reaction I decided to read a bit about the installation. From my understanding, Baez was attempting to create an instillation that would explore identity and its connection to heritage and history. The two figures (one of which is not visible in the picture above) were created with reference to Haitian priestesses. These figures were designed to look powerful and almost mythical in nature. The empty space between these figures represents the holes in todays knowledge of the past/history. I think that it is a really interesting piece, that holds deep meaning and stunning visuals. 

September 6th 2020 

[caveartfair]

Firelei Báez’s Intoxicating Installation Is a Feminist Ode to the African Diaspora

Installation view of Firelei Báez, A Drexcyen chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways), 2019, at James Cohan, New York, 2019. © Firelei Báez. Photo by Phoebe d’Heurle. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York.

Lift the ragged hem of the blue tarp framing the entryway to James Cohan’s Grand Street gallery and you’ll find yourself in a quixotic, tented fantasy. As your eyes adjust to the dim light filtered through the perforated tarp and a second layer of printed mesh, the gentle perfume of incense wafts toward your nose. It’s a sensual experience, though a slightly jarring transition from the cold, white-walled front desk area.

This dreamy fishbowl is the crux of Firelei Báez’s current solo exhibition, “A Drexcyen Chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways),” on view through June 16th. The gorgeous (dare I say “immersive”) installation takes itstitle from the Detroit techno duo Drexciya. Their Afrofuturist concept albums from the 1990s and 2000s imagined a utopian underwater world populated by the descendants of pregnant slaves thrown overboard during journeys through the Middle Passage.

Installation view of Firelei Báez, A Drexcyen chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways), 2019, at James Cohan, New York, 2019. © Firelei Báez. Photo by Phoebe d’Heurle. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York.

This heady origin story exemplifies the Dominican-born, New York–based artist’s interest in weaving together history and myth in order to tease out—or complicate—dominant narratives about female identity, migration, and the Afro-Caribbean experience. The installation, an off-puttingly comforting and relaxing environment, serves as a “safe space” in which varied cultures can come together to connect.

As Jared Quinton wrote for Artsy in 2016, Báez’s “subject matter could be didactic in the wrong hands, but she sidesteps that risk with her focus on beauty, engagement, and emotion, seducing viewers into a contemplative space in which to confront them with painful histories.”

The overwhelming nature of the azure installation is certainly enchanting—but it’s convoluted, too. The artist relishes in smudging our linear conceptions of time and experience, and her show collapses different histories of migration to evince an ongoing, reciprocal exchange—a flow of bodies and ideologies. Accordingly, “A Drexcyen Chronocommons” abounds with probing contradictions and overlapping meanings.

Installation views of Firelei Báez, A Drexcyen chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways), 2019, at James Cohan, New York, 2019. © Firelei Báez. Photo by Phoebe d’Heurle. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York.

The blue tarp that shapes the space is a material commonly used for temporary shelters, and here, it serves as a dual symbol of disaster and refuge. Underneath the tarp—its perforations allow soft, dappled light to shine through—is a mesh material patterned with a map of the stars as they appeared in the night sky at the onset of the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804). On its sides, various diasporic symbols of resistance butt against a mix of real and fake tropical plants.

The Haitian Revolution—and its often-unacknowledged impact on the geopolitical landscape of the 19th century—is a historic moment that the artist returns to in many of her works. Here, it’s a centralizing reference point for the layered histories and ideas she presents.

The all-encompassing blue of the room, for instance, suggests an oceanic quality that recalls the broader history of the African diaspora and the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It also recalls Caribbean writer Édouard Glissant’s theory of the ocean as a repository for collective memory. At the same time, the color prods and unravels the concept of “the true-blue American.” The indigo-dyeing technique for blue jeans, gallery partner David Norr noted, originally came from West Africa and India.

Installation view of Firelei Báez, A Drexcyen chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways), 2019, at James Cohan, New York, 2019. © Firelei Báez. Photo by Phoebe d’Heurle. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York.

Although it’s not widely acknowledged, the American landscape—particularly the South—was deeply affected by the revolution in Haiti. The Louisiana Purchase wouldn’t have happened without it. As a meeting point of French, Afro-Caribbean, and American cultures, New Orleans is also poignantly invoked throughout the show.

At the center of these sprawling global histories are the women—real and imagined—who lived through them. On opposite sides of the tent, Báez has installed two monumental paintings in shrine-like niches. The self-assured female nudes catch the viewer between their penetrating gazes. The artist omits their noses and mouths—features often racially stereotyped—but instead of dampening their individual agency, the redaction enhances their auras of mythical prowess and authority. The portrayals obliquely conjure the Haitian priestesses whose contributions to the revolution are usually excluded from its retellings.

Firelei Báez, In the manner of water and light (detail), 2019. © Firelei Báez. Photo by Phoebe d’Heurle. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York.

Without clothing or other identifying features, Báez amplifies the symbolic meanings of the women’s tignons, or wrapped head coverings. The tignon exemplifies the often-clashing expectations for women around the world, and Báez frequently calls on the history of fashion to elucidate acts of resistance by women of the African diaspora.

In 18th-century New Orleans, women of color were legally required to wear these headscarves, an anemic measure to diminish their natural sexuality. The same rule applied to enslaved women in the nearby Dominican Republic and Haiti. The limitation—at first restrictive and degrading—became a method for these women, who created evermore elaborate and stylized versions to subvert their subjugation and express themselves as individuals. Like much of diasporic culture, the restrictive measure was later appropriated in European fashions.

At the far end of the tent, another flap leads to a small back room featuring three paintings and one work on paper that elaborate on contradictory feminine ideals across cultures, particularly as they relate to race. In one of the largest works, An open horizon (or the stillness of a wound) (2019), an archival blueprint of a WPA-era bridge project in New Orleans is the backdrop to two wrestling female figures, who are covered in a Colonial floral pattern. A painted blue wave—a reference to Hurricane Katrina—rushes over the entire composition.

Installation view of Firelei Báez, A Drexcyen chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways), 2019, at James Cohan, New York, 2019. © Firelei Báez. Photo by Phoebe d’Heurle. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York.

Firelei Báez, An open horizon (or the stillness of a wound), 2019. © Firelei Báez. Photo by Phoebe d’Heurle. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York.

Firelei Báez, Tignon for Ayda Weddo (or that which a center can not hold), 2019. © Firelei Báez. Photo by Phoebe d’Heurle. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York.

Firelei Báez, Chrono-DREAMer, 2019. © Firelei Báez. Photo by Phoebe d’Heurle. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York.

The wrestling women are ripped from a particular corner of YouTube. Viral “wildin’” videos capture a phenomenon where maternal POC elders encourage younger women to fight, then stream the footage online. This seemingly antagonistic tradition is a fantastic departure from the passive and subservient view of femininity that dominates Western thought. In this aggressive ritual, the wisdom imparted from generation to generation foregrounds bodily agency and expression rather than meekness.

In this intoxicating ecosystem that Báez has created, identity becomes malleable, history and folklore compatible, and acts of resistance a tangled web. There is no one truth to the diasporic experience, or even the human one, but the artist has worked valiantly to collapse, explain, expand, and feel them all.

from Artsy News

[ruckzuck]

Drexciya - Drexcyen R.E.S.T. Principle / 2002 https://www.discogs.com/Drexciya-Drexcyen-REST-Principle-/release/35562

[muzikaralar]

Liked on YouTube: Traxciya - A Drexciyan Compilation https://youtu.be/2cAmyE0RRXY On April ninth two thousand fifteen a deep sea explorer found a place that remained unknown for a very long time. It is called Drexciya, a place where Human Beings adapted to underwater life. This music was found inside an abandoned studio in Lardossia. Irreplaceable art. Enjoy. TRACK LIST: [00:00] Drexciya - 700 Million Light Years From Earth [05:13] Drexciya - Andreaen Sand Dunes [11:29] Drexciya - Aquarazorda [17:20] Drexciya - Bang-Bang [22:51] Drexciya - Black Sea [29:13] Drexciya - C to the power of X+C to the power of X=MM=unknown [31:52] Drexciya - Dehydration [34:47] Drexciya - Depressurization [39:51] Drexciya - Dr Blowfins' Black Storm Stabilizing Spheres [46:04] Drexciya - Draining of the Tanks [48:49] Drexciya - Drexcyen Star Chamber [55:05] Drexciya - Funk Release Valve [58:13] Drexciya - Gravity Waves [1:04:27] Drexciya - Hydro Cubes [1:11:37] Drexciya - Hydro Theory [1:18:27] Drexciya - Jazzy Fluids [1:21:51] Drexciya - Journey Home [1:26:42] Drexciya - Lake Haze [1:32:00] Drexciya - Lardossen Funk [1:35:58] Drexciya - Organic Hydropoly Spores [1:38:07] Drexciya - Oxyplasmic Gyration Beam [1:42:28] Drexciya - Polymono Plexusgel [1:45:39] Drexciya - Positron Island [1:49:46] Drexciya - Running Out of Space [1:51:41] Drexciya - Sea Snake [1:56:27] Drexciya - Species of the Pod [2:00:22] Drexciya - Triangular Hydrogen Strain [2:04:21] Drexciya - Under Sea Disturbances [2:12:28] Drexciya - Universal Element [2:14:27] Drexciya - Water Walker [2:18:06] Drexciya - Wave Jumper [2:24:47] Drexciya - You Don't Know [2:30:43] Drexciya - The Last Transmission March 29, 2018 at 06:49PM

[mia-vienne]

Drexcyen Chronocommons (To win the war you fought it sideways)

Firelei Báez