ARTIST STATEMENT-
My artwork takes a critical view of cultural, political and erotic perspectives. In my work, I reconstruct the American dream and fantasy images that are part of our childhood and adult culture. Having engaged subjects as diverse as black women’s rights, spirituality, African-American liberation and African culture, my work reproduces familiar visual signs, arranging them into new conceptually layered pieces.
Often times these themes are combined into visual feminine elements that feature surreal and abstract backgrounds, juxtaposed with symbolic spiritual images, and often embellished with vibrant colors. The colors orange and yellow (that I most frequently use) establishes a dream-like surreal quality, suggests notions of calmness, peace, love, happiness and safety; which formally unifies
the disparate figures in each portrait. While I use a variety of graphic as well as digital materials and processes in each project my methodology is consis tent. Although there may not always be material similarities between the different projects they are linked by recurring formal concerns and through the subject matter. The subject matter of each body of work determines the materials and the forms of the work.
My work for the most part is a major recording that reminds us about the beauty and sweetness of women and how to find the goddess within all of us. Believe it or not, we as humans are all Artists in one shape or form that is personally unique to us; for we have to ability to create our own lives and most of all our own destinies. My artwork is the very blueprint of who I am.
-Elton Leonard Jr.
ELTON LEONARD
New York, NY
EXHIBITION HISTORY-
August 14-16, 2015
Group Exhibition: – All City Art Expo| Brooklyn, NY
August 1, 2015
Live Art: – Bed-Stuy Poetry Session | Brooklyn, NY
June 19, 2015
Solo Exhibition – SEV Studio Lounge | Brooklyn, NY
April 18, 2015
Group Exhibition: “Decked Out” – Black Bear Bar | Brooklyn, NY
March 21, 2015
Live Art: “The Basement Session” – The Basement | Bronx, NY
February 27, 2015
Live Art: “Sunset Park Slope: Art, Music and Poetry” – SEV Studio Lounge | Brooklyn NY
February 24, 2015
Group Exhibition: “African – American History Month Art Show” – The Fortune Society | Harlem, NY
January 17, 2015
Live Art: “Sunset Park Slope: Art, Music and Poetry” – SEV Studio Lounge | Brooklyn NY
December 12, 2014
Group Exhibition: “A Taste of Art & Jazz: Reception and Art Sale” – TWO Local 100 | Brooklyn, NY
May 30 – June 1, 2014
Group Exhibition: “Bushwick Open Studios 2014” – The Living Gallery | Brooklyn, NY
April 5, 2014
Live Art: “The Basement Session” – The Basement | Bronx, NY
March 15, 2014
Group Exhibition: “PIECE” – SHNY | New York, NY
December, 2013 - Present
Live Art: “The Collage Movement: Live Art at the DL -Tuesdays”– Dinner at Ludlow | New York, NY
October 5, 2013
Group Exhibition: – “Black August Art Show” – The Crystal House | Brooklyn, NY
August 8, 2013
Group Exhibition: – “Art is Life, Volume I” – LP & Harmony Bar | Brooklyn, NY
August 3, 2013
Group Exhibition: – “The Artistic Release: They Live” – 3rd Eye (Sol)ation Gallery | Brooklyn, NY
July 9, 2013
Group Exhibition: “100 Artists Exhibition” – Ouchi Gallery | Brooklyn, NY
July 2011
Group Exhibition: 3rd Eye (Sol)ation Gallery | Brooklyn, NY
October 2002
Solo Exhibition: The Ida B. Wells/Barnett Museum | Holly Springs, MS
September 2000
Solo Exhibition: “Digital Africa” - The Brooklyn Moon Café | Brooklyn, NY
March 1996
Group Exhibition: NYC Transit Authority Building | Brooklyn, NY
December 1995
Group Exhibition: Kwanzaa Art Show – MBM Gallery | New York, NY