BFA DRAWING THESIS SHOW - CALIPH MUHAMMAD
Artist Statement
Caliph Muhammad
Growing up, movies were my reflection. 70’s films like Cooley High, Car Wash, and Claudine highlighted the everyday black experiences and created influential Black characters. I recognized certain characters as similar to myself, such as being a bookworm as well as an artist on shows like Good Times, where protagonists J.J and Michael are examples of this. It was important to have these characters coexist and have their plot lines intersect with real world issues. On screen, such actors go through emotional ups and downs for 30 minutes, or if it's a movie, about 2 hours, but in real life issues are more significant and can affect individuals for multiple seasons at a time.
The subjects that I chose are the protagonists of these films: mothers, fathers, daughters, brothers who are fundamental staples in black communities, even though they are often overlooked in society. It’s more common and monetary for them to be given a platform on screen, than it is to be helped in real life, so creating a show where unheard voices are heard offscreen is necessary. To do this, oil pastel is used to highlight their beauty and emotion in significant film stills. The warmth and malleability creates a deep sense of foundation that doesn't ring true in other mediums; the intensity in each character is felt by the colors left on my fingers, which have an unmistakably organic feel. As well as the cardboard as my canvas, the tonality of the brown helps to expose these colors even more than on a plain white paper.
As we get older we start to become more particular in terms of influences. In my work I’m trying to capture a sense of reflection to an elementary point of view; the point of when these images were first introduced to me. They’re strong, concrete examples of strength and community, that will influence me for a lifetime.
Growing up, movies were my reflection. 70’s films like Cooley High, Car Wash, and Claudine highlighted the everyday black experiences and created influential Black characters. I recognized certain characters as similar to myself, such as being a bookworm as well as an artist on shows like Good Times, where protagonists J.J and Michael are examples of this. It was important to have these characters coexist and have their plot lines intersect with real world issues. On screen, such actors go through emotional ups and downs for 30 minutes, or if it's a movie, about 2 hours, but in real life issues are more significant and can affect individuals for multiple seasons at a time.
The subjects that I chose are the protagonists of these films: mothers, fathers, daughters, brothers who are fundamental staples in black communities, even though they are often overlooked in society. It’s more common and monetary for them to be given a platform on screen, than it is to be helped in real life, so creating a show where unheard voices are heard offscreen is necessary. To do this, oil pastel is used to highlight their beauty and emotion in significant film stills. The warmth and malleability creates a deep sense of foundation that doesn't ring true in other mediums; the intensity in each character is felt by the colors left on my fingers, which have an unmistakably organic feel. As well as the cardboard as my canvas, the tonality of the brown helps to expose these colors even more than on a plain white paper.
As we get older we start to become more particular in terms of influences. In my work I’m trying to capture a sense of reflection to an elementary point of view; the point of when these images were first introduced to me. They’re strong, concrete examples of strength and community, that will influence me for a lifetime.