The BLACK Gallery is honored to announce our upcoming exhibit, The Emancipation of Isaka Shamsud-Din: A Liberated Archives Exploration of Fine Art. This exhibit features unique, never before seen works by the multi-disciplinary artist, showcasing decades of archival drafts, drawings, silkscreens, sketches and prints. Rare ceramics, hand-made clothing, wood carvings and special editions of larger paintings will also be incorporated within the show.
The BLACK Gallery will host a first look on May 2nd from 5:00 - 7:00pm as part of First Thursday.
A public opening reception will take place on Saturday, May 4th at 2:00pm.
Visits are by appointment only and will fill up quickly. The BLACK Gallery is open from 12:00 - 5:00pm Thursday through Sunday.
Isaka Shamsud-Din (b. 1940) has devoted much of his artistic career to depicting the lives and histories of African-American people in easel paintings, murals, and prints. But he has also been a civil rights activist, an important member of the Nation of Islam, and a mentor to young people. As a boy, newly arrived from Texas, Shamsud-Din and his family lost all they had to the devastating Vanport flood of 1948.
Isaka Shamsud-Din is known in the Pacific Northwest as a mural artist, art professor, and social commentary artist who critiques the complex history that makes up the African American experience. His large-scale paintings imbue vivid color and bold energy, bringing his characters to life. He collages past and present elements into allegorical vignettes that reflect culture and history. His suggestive work shows both the grace and anguish of the people he depicts.
A Portland painter and teacher, Isaka Shamsud-Din received his training at the Pacific Northwest College of Art (formerly the Museum Art School) and Portland State University, where he taught art and worked in community outreach. He has received grants from the Metropolitan and Oregon Arts Commissions, as well as a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. His many public commissions include murals for the Portland Justice Center, the Albina Neighborhood, the Children’s Museum, and Portland State University.