Opening June 5, 2021, painter Jeremy G. Bell presents A Glimpse at Soul, his debut exhibition at ArtXchange Gallery. Best known for his complexly layered portraiture of contemporary Black subjects, Bell’s work challenges and reclaims the narrative of what it means to be a Black American. Bell’s paintings are layered amalgams; splashes of paint, ink, charcoal, and other media unite with symbolic imagery and hyper-realistic, soulful faces coalescing at the center. Bell uses the portrait medium to investigate a wide range of themes – beauty, Blackness, and the spirit- as well as the world that his subjects live in, which continually exposes them to stereotyping, violence and suffering.
Bell’s work was notably seen in 2019 at the Northwest African American Museum in his previous solo exhibition, Utopian Blackness. In this newest exhibition at ArtXchange Gallery, Bell continues his work in portraiture featuring tenderly rendered images of Black men, women, and children layered with imagery including lush roses and protective shields. In A Glimpse at Soul, Bell unveils his largest and most complex works yet, the Ascension series. In these large-scale self-portraits, Bell bravely puts himself at the forefront of his work, sharing his own experience and body as a form of protest.
Bell’s work is shaped by the world that he lives in. “This constant and sustained litigation between the greater society – those who adopt Black culture and conveniently call us friend – is tiring,” he writes. In his works depicting faces layered with shields and armor, the artist creates images that are akin to a visual prayer for protection and strength. Other artworks merge faces with lush red roses in unexpected ways, symbolizing beauty, growth, and creation. In this contrast, Bell highlights the struggle inherent in needing to protect oneself from harm, while still ascending with an open heart to spiritual growth.
In the Ascension self-portrait series, Bell reflects on the exhaustion and trauma experienced by himself and Black Americans. In Ascension II: The Litigator, an almost life-sized self-portrait rendered in paint, chalk, charcoal, spray paint and mixed media, a male figure (Bell) bows his head – cold and closed off to the world – while his spirit form stands behind him, expanding outwards. The spirit is greater than the body and seeks refuge. “I was once told my work was powerful,” writes Bell. “I was deeply captivated by the idea that I could be powerful with an image. It is the only space in which I am allowed to be powerful.”
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