Introduction by Jessica Bell Brown. Text by Tracy K. Smith, Imani Perry, Awoye Timpo, V. Mitch McEwen, Ruha Benjamin, Mario Moore.
The portraits by Mario Moore contribute to the empowerment of important figures who are often overlooked
Over the years, artist and Detroit native Mario Moore (born 1987) has observed that the halls of elite institutions like universities and art museums prominently feature portraits of donors, deans, presidents, board members and scholars, and that the subjects of those portraits are mostly white and male. When Moore was selected as a Princeton University Hodder Fellow in 2018, he wanted to ask what positions garner such attention and how could painting contribute to conversations on who deserves to be recognized. He set out to meet Black men and women who work in and around Princeton University in blue-collar jobs and let the art-making process unfold from their collaborative interactions. In the resulting works, Moore redefines the colonial gaze for the subjects he paints, allowing them to look directly out with an unflinching stare. This publication includes sketches, drawings, etchings and paintings.
Featured image is reproduced from ‘Mario Moore: The Work of Several Lifetimes'.
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Featured spreads are from The Work of Several Lifetimes, Detroit native Mario Moore’s new collection of portraits of the Black blue-collar workers who keep Princeton University running behind the scenes. “I knew that whatever I created for this series would walk a tight line between the expectation of how Black people are seen in blue-collar jobs versus the true representation of them—making them visible,” Moore writes. “Generally, portraits at elite institutions are created to represent owners, donors, deans, presidents and scholars. But I wanted to ask the question: Which positions garner such attention and how could painting contribute to conversations about who deserves to be recognized? My hope is that the work I created has explored a sense of power and individuality. I believe that all of the work offers insight into each individual that is more complex, more nuanced than at first glance.” continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 9 x 11 in. / 128 pgs / 60 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $50.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $70 GBP £44.00 ISBN: 9781646570157 PUBLISHER: Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton University AVAILABLE: 7/6/2021 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: Out of stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Published by Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton University. Introduction by Jessica Bell Brown. Text by Tracy K. Smith, Imani Perry, Awoye Timpo, V. Mitch McEwen, Ruha Benjamin, Mario Moore.
The portraits by Mario Moore contribute to the empowerment of important figures who are often overlooked
Over the years, artist and Detroit native Mario Moore (born 1987) has observed that the halls of elite institutions like universities and art museums prominently feature portraits of donors, deans, presidents, board members and scholars, and that the subjects of those portraits are mostly white and male. When Moore was selected as a Princeton University Hodder Fellow in 2018, he wanted to ask what positions garner such attention and how could painting contribute to conversations on who deserves to be recognized. He set out to meet Black men and women who work in and around Princeton University in blue-collar jobs and let the art-making process unfold from their collaborative interactions. In the resulting works, Moore redefines the colonial gaze for the subjects he paints, allowing them to look directly out with an unflinching stare. This publication includes sketches, drawings, etchings and paintings.
