Abiose Spriggs

Spriggs’ series of untitled figurative renderings is inspired by the 1980 Kerry James Marshall work “A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self.” Marshall’s depiction of a black figure on a black background was inspired by the idea of being both present and absent, particularly as a theme in Ralph Ellison’s 1952 novel, Invisible Man. Spriggs takes a different approach, utilizing a vibrant, highly saturated palette. He employs a light and loose technique, giving each figure a similar shadowy, half present, half absent effect. In doing this, Spriggs underscores the facades, or shadows of one’s identity, leaving viewers to question how often Black and Brown bodies must distort their true selves to be embraced, accepted, or even seen, in the spaces they are part of.

Tiffany Gaines, Making Strange Co-Curator