Rashid Johnson Field Trip: A Review by Torrence Hill

Our art history class took a field trip to the Atlanta High Museum. While there, we conducted a tour of the exhibit by Rashid Johnson. Rashid Johnson is considered to be a “Conceptual Post Black” artist. First of all, what is conceptual post black art? It is a reference to contemporary African American art. Conceptual post black artists usually take on the subjects of race, racism and what it means and feels to be black or of African decent in America. Rashid Johnson works with a range of media to include painting, video photography, and sculpture. I noticed that most of Rashid Johnson’s work incorporates his childhood memories. An example of this is his 2009 Triple Consciousness piece. It has black soap, wax, vinyl album (Al Green) cover, shea butter, plant, and brass. The measurement of the art was (121.9 x 243.8 cm). When I first saw this art piece, it quickly threw me back into the 1970’s. Other works of Rashid Johnson that we saw included The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club. This art pieces was also powerful. It is a black and white picture of an African American man. The picture is filled with smoke. Rashid Johnson has generated national attention for both his subject matter on race and for his art process. Rashid Johnson is an artist I will continue to follow.