Iona Rozeal Brown Notes

iona rozeal brown’s most recent paintings are an unprecedented mixture of anonymous courtesans, geisha and other Japanese subjects. She explores the theme of afro-asiatic allegory, addressing the global influence of african american culture as fetish. Brown’s work signals the energy, critical direction and complexity of contemporary practice that is engaged in a tenuous marriage of commerce and resistance.

In her paint, Brown intertextually juxtaposes color and texture, a technique that parallels her artistry as a DJ. Both practices emerge from a process of self-sampling and remixing, devices employed by media to create its own endless permutations or representations and meanings. Throughout her work, Brown brings a subversive reading to her art, and manipulates hyper self-conscious imagery to articulate contemporary concerns regarding race, gender and class.

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