You may have heard that the pioneering and ambitious Art Village Gallery on South Main in Downtown Memphis has been renamed Urevbu Contemporary. After a one-year hiatus, the gallery is debuting its first physical exhibition in time for African-American History Month.
The exhibition, “dis/contented realities,” presents a range of works from five emerging artists to watch from Nigeria, Cameroon, and the United States: Sophia Azoige, Samuel Dallé, Árá Deinde, Amarchi Odimba, and Kaylyn Webster.
To promote safe art appreciation, the gallery offers socially distanced art-viewing appointments in seven different time slots.
Courtesy Urevbu Contemporary
Untitled work by Árá Deinde
“Though the paintings in the exhibition are unified by their figurative imagery, each of the artists approaches their subject from a fresh perspective according to their own individual aesthetics, representing a spectrum of styles ranging from the abstract to the naturalistic,” explains Urevbu Contemporary in a post to social media.
Through layers of oil and acrylic — and, in some cases, unexpected additional media — the paintings of “dis/contented realities” are informed by the rich, personal histories and experiences of the artists they represent.
Confronting issues of race and identity, immigration and diaspora, beauty and friendship, the artists grapple with issues of the current moment. Some of the individuals in the exhibition advocate for a restructuring of reality, others stimulate their audience to confront the political and social landscape. The paintings are placed in conversation with one another, allowing the viewer to appreciate and explore the connections and the conflicts of the artists’ respective viewpoints.
Opening reception for “dis/contented realities,” Urevbu Contemporary (formerly Art Village Gallery), 410 South Main, Saturday, Feb. 6, 5:30-9 p.m., free with registration.