Shane-Jahi Jackson: Voices Through the Orb
October 17, 2023 - January 21, 2024
Voices: A Conversation with Shane-Jahi Jackson & Che Ryhmefest
Logan Center Performance Penthouse
Friday, January 19, 2024 / 6-8pm / FREE
Artist photographic self-portrait.
The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts is proud to present Voices Through the Orb featuring multistyle paintings by Shane-Jahi Jackson and curated by Juelle Daley. On view in Café Logan, 915 E 60th, from October 17, 2023 - January 21, 2024.
This exhibition by self-taught visual artist Shane-Jahi Jackson speaks to the complex visual language that defines his style. Through portraiture, still life, and abstraction, Jackson summons viewers into a lucid dialogue with hidden worlds: from the stark beauty of flowers in vases to the oft-ignored dimensions of Black female sensuality, Jackson’s dextrous style lends voice to both the ordinary and the opulent.
United by an orb motif present across all Jackson’s works, the paintings in Voices Through the Orb explore their subjects through a maze of fractured geometries, complex layers, and smoldering brushstrokes. Viewers are confronted at every turn of the maze with a fresh visual lexicon, each corridor peppered with clues and messages inviting the viewer to engage more deeply with the painted surface.
The resonant, piercing quality of Jackson’s paintings stand in direct contrast to the artist’s quiet demeanor and soft voice. Through his work, he seeks to cast a blinding brightness on the full sphere of his subjects.
“Without art,
I cannot exist.”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Shane-Jahi Jackson is a self-taught visual artist whose practice is primarily centered around oil painting, mix media and portraiture. He finds inspiration from the likes of Raphael, Caravaggio, Velazquez and Davinci all of whom influence his work. He strives to capture the beauty and complexity of his sitters of African descent no matter their color, shape, and size with the goal of elevating their humanity. He also interrogates Black female identity and sensuality as a form of celebration. Recently, he shifted his attention to painting Abstract works which he deems very freeing by allowing his imagination to soar after exploring the artistic visions of Jackson Pollack and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Art for Shane-Jahi is a constant chase to encounter beauty in every moment and throughout his life. Shane-Jahi was born in Denver, Colorado in 1987, and creating art has always been a part of his life. He lives and works in Illinois with deep connections to Chicago. Through a process of trial and error and dogged dedication, he studied the work and practices of the “great masters” of art as a method to ripen and to develop his own artistic language and voice. Both his mother and grandmother are central figures in his life and witnessed his budding talent as a child when he carried a pencil for drawing very close instead of playing with toys.
PROGRAMMING
Voices: A Conversation with Shane-Jahi Jackson & Che Ryhmefest
Logan Center Performance Penthouse
Friday, January 19, 2024 / 6-8pm / FREE
6-7pm
Artist-guided tour of the exhibition, Café Logan
7-8pm
Program begins in Performance Penthouse, Level Nine
Join us for an exhilarating evening of art, music, and thought-provoking discourse in the final event for visual artist Shane-Jahi Jackson’s exhibition, Voices through the Orbs, currently on view in Café Logan through January 21, 2024.
The evening begins with an artist-led tour. Step into the world of Jackson’s mesmerizing artwork as he personally guides you through the exhibition, complemented by light refreshments.
Jackson will then be joined by rapper and activist Che Rhymefest for a captivating conversation in the Logan Center’s intimate Performance Penthouse. This pairing of artists resurrects the epic 1971 conversation between writer James Baldwin and poet Nikki Giovanni. Taped in London and broadcast on PBS, the conversation between those artistic icons delved deep into the essence of Black life in the United States, touching on themes of justice, freedom, empowerment, and the profound influence of the arts. Jackson and Rhymefest aim to channel the essence of that exchange, delving into subjects like Fatherhood, Black Masculinity, Black Joy, resilience, and the transformative power of the arts in our society. Their distinct artistic perspectives as painter and musician promise to provide a unique and inspiring experience.
As an exclusive bonus, attendees will also be the first to view four new paintings by Jackson, unveiled just before the conversation.
Exhibition Hours
8am–10pm daily