Outsider art show another sign of East Lake revival
The old commercial strip in the East Lake neighborhood is being revived after decades of neglect – especially the 7600 block of First Avenue North – and the arts are definitely playing a part.
The latest example is a new visual art exhibit at the East Lake Theatre Art Gallery Annex.
“Embrace: the Cyclops, the RE:percussion(ist) & the Revolutionist” – featuring local painters and multi-media artists Hunter Bell, Lee Allan Possum Doss and Ukuu Tafari – opened on Oct. 7.
It will be open for viewing tomorrow – and every other Saturday through Nov. 26 – from noon to 5 p.m.
The show features “multi-media, surrealist, outsider and street art,” according to a news release from Bell.
And the artists are happy to be part of the rebirth of the East Lake commercial core.
“I’d rather do [the show] here than on Southside or in Avondale,” Bell said during the opening reception last Friday night.
“Art is always in the vanguard,” Tafari said. “From Berlin to Skid Row in Los Angeles, the artists kind of come in first, and other people say, ‘Oh, OK.’”
Bell and Tafari said that they consider themselves, along with Doss, to be outsiders in the local art scene – “We’re not necessarily a member of any cool-kid cliques,” Tafari said – but they still express affection for Birmingham.
“I love this community,” Bell said. “They support us.”
“People in Birmingham will come out and support you if you’re sincere about it,” Tafari said.
All three artists make use of found objects and unusual materials. For example, Doss has paintings and other works in the show that use acrylic paint, but also yarn, nail polish and pipe cleaners. In addition, he displays a big box of his crocheted hats and caps.
Bell uses found objects almost exclusively in his work. “The only thing I pay for is spray paint,” he said.
This shared approach helps unifies the show, according to Tafari. “We’re all DIY,” he said. “We also believe in practical things, in recycling things. Who would have thought of using pipe cleaners? That’s a commonality.”
Tafari and Doss each said that their works carry some political and social themes, while Bell professes to draw heavily on the unconscious.
“A lot of my work deals with dreams and shadows and shadow minds,” he said.
Bell calls his contribution to the group show “a reflection of my dreams that I found accidentally.”
This is not the first exhibit to be held at the gallery, which is adjacent to the former College Theater – a 1940s-era neighborhood movie house that later became a porn theatre.
The gallery, located at 7606 First Ave. North, is open every Saturday 12-5 p.m. through Nov. 26, or by appointment.
For information, contact 492-6888 or sunwizard222@gmail.com.