I can bring in all these different components, and I marry these components, and I let them get traversed by the viewer, who reorganizes them. Rashid Johnson bringcomponentmarry Change image and share on social
My father ran a CB radio business. I grew up in a cluttered space that was filled with radios and antennas. It felt alien. Rashid Johnson alienantennabusiness Change image and share on social
I've been interested in LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka's work for quite a while. My first introduction to LeRoi Jones was when my mother used to read me the 'Dead Lecturer' poems when I was a kid. Rashid Johnson amiribarakadead Change image and share on social
I have an investment in the signifying aspects of the material as well as an understanding of antecedent bodies of work. That informs the way I make marks and make decisions. Rashid Johnson antecedentaspectbody Change image and share on social
The way that light hits objects, I think, is one of the more important things that sculpture and photography share. Rashid Johnson hitimportantlight Change image and share on social
Race, class, childhood experience, the books I found on my mother's bookshelf, the albums I found in my father's basement - these things are all part of who I am and will always be a part of my work. Rashid Johnson albumbasementbook Change image and share on social
When I was younger, I would see shea butter being sold on the street, and I was interested how people were still coating themselves in the theater of Africanism. You see that in dashikis and hairstyles and music. Rashid Johnson africanismbuttercoat share on social
For me, all the materials and objects I employ come from a specific space that's very personal. Rashid Johnson employmaterialobject Change image and share on social
I wanted my art to deal with very formal concerns and to deal with very material concerns, and to deal with antecedents and art history, which for me go very far beyond just the influence of African-American artists. Rashid Johnson africanamericanantecedent share on social
I was going through a divorce, and I had a lot of reading I was doing, and I developed what was probably a serious anxiety problem - because I was about as poor as you can get, in graduate school, and trying to make my work and keep my head above water. Rashid Johnson anxietydevelopdivorce share on social
