BLACK Card: Transactions in Cultural Currency
Brandon Clarke
June 17 - August 31, 2023
Hampton Art Lovers Commissioned and Curated in collaboration with Brandon Clarke, "BLACK Card". With "BLACK Card..." Clarke explores Black artistic expression at the intersection of cultural authenticity and various forms of credit or currency in the contemporary moment.
Clarke’s art work wrestles with a range of critical questions: “How did the “Black Card” become a signifier of racial authenticity? “Who has access to an authentic Black identity? And “What is the relationship between the figurative Black Card and its high-end counterpart in the material world of credit and currency?
Clarke’s work deconstructs the concept of the “Black Card” as a euphemism for Black identity, exploring its suggestive solidarity and reflecting on its symbolic and material presence in the lived experience of African Americans.
For Clarke, it is no accident that the “Black Card” has also come to represent an ultra-exclusive high-end credit status that is regularly referenced in pop culture as the ultimate signifier of elite access and invitation-only access. Much like the symbolic, the Black (credit) card, represents access that is limited to a select, authentic few.
The Black Card is cultural currency with intrinsic value tied to the perception of it as an authentic status symbol. Traditional (or material) currency is generally associated with financial systems, but the scope of cultural currency is far-reaching, encompassing not only financial units of exchange but works of art, critical ideas and the material objects of culture. By juxtaposing these complicated concepts of the Black Card, Clarke’s work underscores the contradictions and exclusive practices that shape Black identity.
Brandon Clarke’ “BLACK Card . . .” generates new possibilities for the discourses on Black identity and inside-outside dynamics within the African American community. It challenges the fixed parameters of African-American culture and the wider community at large.
Artist Biography
Brandon Clarke is a second-generation (visual) artist, who inherited his penchant for the craft from his grandmother. Clarke was introduced to the art world in his grandmother’s house where he used to paint with her as a child. His style of painting is distinct from his grandmother’s, but her teachings are ever present in his work. Clarke’s interpretation of art and life resonates through the lenses of abstract expressionism.
Brandon’s art focuses on the power of self-awareness through juxtaposition of form and color on a canvas. He uses words, color and compositions on a canvas to make bold statements about the growth of a person/culture. Although Brandon mostly works with acrylics, spray paint, and pastels, he also encompasses other mixed media into his work when needed. This helps his viewers see the many visual entry-points and feel at liberty to apply their own experiences to the marks on the canvas. Brandon believes his art tells stories in which most can relate to through the development of playful abstractions that combine creative mark-making.
Brandon lives in South Dade county with his wife and children. He and his wife are both graduates of Hampton University, where Brandon earned his Bachelors and Masters in Architecture.