Brush with Greatness
Marcus Leslie Singleton: New Steps
June 20 – Oct. 19
Contemporary Arts Center
44 E. Sixth St.
Opening Reception
7 p.m. – Artist + Curator Talk: $5 for Non-Members, Free for Members
7 p.m. – Exclusive gallery access, cash bar, and set by DJ Nymph
9 p.m. – Afterparty at Alice OTR
More at www.cincycac.org
Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) debuts the first solo museum exhibition dedicated to the work of Brooklyn-based figurative painter Marcus Leslie Singleton, Marcus Leslie Singleton: New Steps.
Curated by CAC Curator Theresa Bembnister, the exhibition includes new videos and deeply intimate paintings of Black American communities, Singleton’s experiences in Côte d'Ivoire, and work inspired by family and friends in his neighborhood.
In his work, Singleton portrays nuanced images of Black American everyday life – what the artist calls his ongoing examination of time and the Black body. Singleton’s paintings, executed instinctually from memory and family photos, span the spectrum from light-hearted to politically charged.
In early 2024, Marcus Leslie Singleton participated in a month-long artist residency at La Fourchette de Rōze, a boutique hotel in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. For Singleton, who paints people engaged in everyday activities around his neighborhoods, this new locale offered subject matter simultaneously novel and familiar. “As an American there is a magnetic tussle between strangeness and familiarity,” Singleton said. “And this was a similar feeling I had in Côte d’Ivoire.”
A constant observer, Singleton writes, sketches, photographs, and records his surroundings, using a notebook, his phone, or a point-and-shoot digital camera. Sometimes he jots down sentences about what he’s seeing, hearing, or even smelling. These notes, in their varying forms, become a kind of catalog of experiences, one that Singleton reviews and selects from to make his paintings.
The artist uses the metaphor of a sponge to describe his time at the residency—he soaked up as much as he could, and, returning to his studio, squeezes out those experiences into his work. The influence of his trip to West Africa is evident in the settings of his paintings, with the vibrant textures and patterns of the interiors of Abidjan locals’ homes. But Singleton’s technique has evolved as well—his color choices are now tied to feeling rather than exclusively to visual representation, a freedom unlocked by soaking up the brilliant colors he encountered through Côte d’Ivoire architecture.
Primarily a figurative painter, Singleton believes that interpersonal relationships are foundational to societies based anywhere, be it West Africa or North America. Through his work, he expresses ideas about communication and connection.
As the title suggests, this exhibition presents the results of the new steps Singleton took following his return to his studio. Completely new work, which will include paintings inspired by Côte d’Ivoire and scenes from New York City, will be displayed alongside other recent paintings. New Steps will also feature two video works. This is Singleton’s first solo museum exhibition in the United States.