I say that I suffer from what Rosalind Krauss was calling the post-medium condition, where an artist essentially employs several mediums in order to bring to life whatever specific ideas that they have. For me it's always been that way. Rashid Johnson artistbringcall share on social
As an undergrad at Columbia College in Chicago, I came across 'Boondocks,' and then I watched the 'Boondocks' television show. Rashid Johnson boondockschicagocollege 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
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 composition often goes toward the black middle class or the black super-wealthy or strong historical black figures. Rashid Johnson blackclasscomposition Change image and share on social
I was born in Evanston, about three blocks away from the Chicago border. My mother, at the time, was finishing her Ph.D. in African History at Northwestern University. Soon after my birth, my parents split, and my father moved to Wicker Park, which is on the north side of the city. Rashid Johnson africanbearbirth share on social
Growing up in Chicago, there was a very particular type of home that would display the black Jesus figure. It wasn't a radical home. You wouldn't find these in a Black Panther house. There's still a strong allegiance to Christianity. Rashid Johnson allegianceblackchicago 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
My mother introduced me to more academic-minded writers, Cornel West and Skip Gates. In her library, I came across, when I was very young, Harold Cruse's 'The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual,' which is like a bible of Negro intellectuals from Frederick Douglass to Amiri Baraka. Rashid Johnson academicamiribaraka share on social
