One of the most compelling art exhibitions that this writer has ever seen is by internationally acclaimed artist Steve R. Allen which is currently in the Jack Sinclair Gallery at the ArtsXchange in East Point. The exhibition titled: “Ancestral Origins: The Fractal Vision of Steve. R. Allen ” runs until March 31.
According to Allen, each painting in this Afro-Futurism series took five to six months to complete. And upon close examination of the paintings the evidence is there to back up his claim. You see layers on top of layers of work. You would need to spend at least 30 minutes examining each painting in order to capture its full essence.
Fractal? What are we talking about here?
Scholar Tamara Holmes Brothers, PhD writes, “The ancient wisdom of fractals derives from Africa as it was a commonly used technology by people and civilizations throughout history. The knowledge and understanding of fractals and Afrofuturism provide pathways that unlock the doors to successfully administering his designs. Allen’s vision exists in combining history and fantasy to explore African American experiences aimed to connect those from the Black diaspora with their historically excluded African ancestry.”
Allen’s work hangs in a number of world capitals and in many prestigious collections from Athens, Greece to Rio de Janeiro to Beijing to the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Four of his original paintings have been acquired by The National Museum of African American HIstory and Culture. His work has appeared at eight Olympic Games.
I caught up with Allen for a brief interview at ArtsXchange. This is an edited version of our conversation.
AtlantaVoice: Steve let’s talk about your calling. You had a calling while working in corporate America (Xerox) and you were doing well – to go into art. How long had you heard that voice that was telling you: This is where you need to go?
Steve Allen: I actually hadn’t been hearing a voice. I was happy at what I was doing (Sales at Xerox in California) and one day the boss wasn’t talking right, so I gave him his job back that morning. I went to the unemployment office when I left there and went home and started painting. It was just that quick.
AV: Do you remember the first piece that you painted?
Allen: It was called “Come Monday”. It’s a picture of my grandmother washing clothes in those big tubs like they use to on Mondays. My momma suggested that name. There are three women in the piece and an old house in the background and we used to live in that house. That was the first piece I painted with brushes and the brushes came from a fellow who found them in a gutter in Los Angeles. I sold that painting years ago back then for $600.00. That was a lot of money. I wish I still had it now.
AV: What brought you to Atlanta?
Allen: I first came when I was 18 years old. My brother lived here. I was here for a year and then left and moved around. I wanted to see what the world looked like. (He moved back to Atlanta in 1992.)
AV: What inspired your current work here on display at the ArtsXchange?
Allen: It wasn’t like I decided that I was going in another direction. Since I don’t have any formal training, it just comes sort of natural to me. The piece “Embrace” was my first foray into that style away from realism. I did that one in a few hours and then the ideas for the other ones just came. Each piece took five to six months with me working on it everyday.
AV: What is your favorite time of the day to be productive?
Allen: At night is best for me. The phone doesn’t ring. When people are asleep, I’m wide awake. My normal time to go to bed is about 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning and I wake up about 8 or 9. A nap may come on later and then I get back at it.
Ancestral Origins: The Fractal Vision of Steve R. Allen
Now until March 31, 2024
ArtsXChange
2148 Newman St.,
East Point, GA 30344
ArtsXchange.org / Steverallenfoundation.org