Closing Reception: Are We There Yet by Wesley Clark

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Are We There Yet has become the talk of the town with reviews in The Washington Post and East City Art. The show features a collection of new works primarily consisting of graphite on paper and lithographic prints. At its core, the works are exercises in mark making, expressing pent up energies (thoughts, feelings, conversations) through drawing. “Where do I want to go,” “Where should I go,” and “Where am I going” are encapsulated in “Are We There Yet.” This incessant, child-like phrase is a check-in that takes measure of my progress; becoming the primary tool plotting my trek.

The art is discovered in the choices made with every mark added or subtracted determining the next steps. On one hand, these works become artifacts or records of the moment (or moments). On the other hand, there’s a loose narrative woven when reading the marks. Single words or short phrases are the conceptual substrates from which these drawings are built. The words originate from songs, sermons, or conversations and are chosen for a particular strength or for a need to further ponder. While executing a drawing, the word(s) fall back to a low mental reverb; a gentle processing of their meaning or relevance. Often worked to a degree of obscurity, their hints of existence are an added element in the narrative reading of the work.

Clark created many of these new works in the studios of Pyramid Atlantic. His practice challenges and draws parallels between historical and contemporary cultural issues with a primary focus surrounding Blacks in America and the African Diaspora. A native Washingtonian, Clark now lives in Hyattsville, MD. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Syracuse University and a Master of Fine Arts from George Washington University. Clark has exhibited at institutions, including The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center (DC), Columbia College Glass Curtain Gallery (IL), and Prizm Art Fair during Art Basel (FL). His work is in the collections of Asheville Art Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and Kaiser Permanente, among others.