Ephraim Urevbu has held down the corner at Huling and South Main since 1998. Prior to that, Urevbu migrated from Nigeria in 1980, earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Memphis, and opened the Art Village Gallery on Beale in 1991, which was moved to the current location. Recently, the gallery was rebranded as Urevbu Contemporary.
A new exhibit, “The Naked Truth: An American Story in White, Red and Blue,” is headed to Belmont University in Nashville and will be shown in the university’s Leu Art Gallery this fall. The full exhibition consists of more than 50 original paintings inspired by the advent of public demonstrations surrounding issues of social justice, the unjust treatment of African Americans, and the normalized presence of systematic racism.
Ahead of the university exhibition opening in late August, the artist will hold a preview exhibition, an artist-led talk, and private tour with a cross-section of paintings on display — a suite of 20 abstract expressionist paintings from the series. Many will be paired with a short essay or reference material, which function as key components to provide interactive and layered experiences to viewers.
“For 400 years, American culture and nationhood has been haunted, stalked, and tormented by the reality and symbols of racial injustice — the chains, the noose, the statues, the bullets,” says Urevbu. “Now, well into the 21st century, the labels, suspicions and accusations, the protests and riots, the righteous indignation, and ‘good trouble’ rise again and again as a shadow on the land and as a spotlight on the hypocrisy of a nation that saw itself as the standard-bearer for freedom.”
A line of limited-edition candles titled “Good Trouble” and a coffee table book titled after the exhibition are to be released in late fall of 2021. Both items can be pre-ordered at the event.
Exhibition preview for “The Naked Truth: An American Story in White, Red and Blue,” Urevbu Contemporary, 410 S. Main, Saturday, July 24, 4-6 p.m., free with registration.
