Troy Chew: In Conversation
Headlands Center for the Arts and CULT Aimee Friberg Exhibitions present a conversation with 2019–20 Tournesol Awardee, Troy Chew, on the occasion of his solo exhibition, Yadadamean.
Yadadamean continues Chew’s Slanguage series, referencing colloquial speech rooted in Black linguistics. Chew’s still lifes provoke viewers to reflect on the historical exclusion of Blackness in Western art, despite the multitudinous facets of Black culture that have shaped mainstream aesthetics, culture and vernacular. The works recall the genesis and evolution of Hip Hop—created in the 1970s in South Bronx by youth who were excluded from the mainstream, it was a rebuttal to a system of social and economic inequality. Hip Hop, and countless other forms of Black creation, existed as incubation spaces for the sharing of stories and forming of Black communities.
The Tournesol Award recognizes one local painter each year, supporting them in taking the first major steps toward establishing a career in the Bay Area. The award gives financial and professional support to assist a dedicated painter in the critical early years of their artistic development.
