Southeastern Contemporary Art Gallery to exhibit artwork by John Isiah Walton
Thursday, June 10, 2021
by: Tonya Lowentritt 
ARTWORK BY WALTON TO BE EXHIBITED - The Department of Visual Art + Design at Southeastern Louisiana University will host an art exhibit by New Orleans based artist John Isiah Walton titled “Black Paintings: Cybernetic Folklore, Place, + Spirit” at the university’s Contemporary Art Gallery, located at 100 East Strawberry Stadium. Free and open to the public, the exhibition is scheduled June 14 to Sept. 2 and includes over 30 large-scale paintings by Walton over the last two years.
HAMMOND – The Department of Visual Art + Design at Southeastern Louisiana University
will host an art exhibit by New Orleans based artist John Isiah Walton titled “Black
Paintings: Cybernetic Folklore, Place, + Spirit” at the university’s Contemporary
Art Gallery, located at 100 East Strawberry Stadium.
The exhibition is free and open to the public from June 14 – Sept. 2 and will
include over 30 large-scale paintings by Walton over the last two years. Contemporary
Art Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 12 to 4 p.m., during the summer, and
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours until 8 p.m.
on Wednesdays, and Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. during the fall.
As part of the exhibit, a collaborative animated music video and works on paper
by Walton are also included, said Gallery Director Cristina Molina. The exhibition,
she said, derives its title from the form and subject matter depicted in Walton’s
artwork.
“Referencing Picasso’s ‘Blue Period,’ Isiah’s recent paintings uniformly begin
with a grounding of black acrylic pigment, which are then layered with white outlines
and swift, colorful brushstrokes,” Molina explained. “Working in a reactionary manner,
Isiah’s visual language is influenced by internet aesthetics, Black identity, pop
culture, and Louisiana history to deliver poignant social commentary and a reflection
of our contemporary moment.”
Walton has presented solo exhibitions at The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, The Front,
New Orleans, Brooklyn, Barrister’s Gallery and Graham, N.C. Selected group shows include
Tulane University; New Orleans Museum of Art; Art Lab Akiba, Ginza, Tokyo; and Untitled
Art Projects, Los Angeles.
A co-founder of Level artist collective, Walton has been a member of both the
Second Story Gallery and The Front, New Orleans. He has lectured about his work to
students of the graduate program at UNC, Chapel Hill.
A closing reception is scheduled Sept. 2 at 5 p.m. in the gallery to celebrate
the exhibition. Musical guests Kumasi Afrobeat will play a selection of songs from
their new album, “Live from Marigny Studios,” the cover of which Walton designed.
The music video included in the exhibition, “Cabilao,” was inspired by Walton’s paintings
and produced by Kumasi in part by Southeastern students.
For more information, contact Molina at cmolina@southeastern.edu or 985-549-5080.
