For the 17th episode of AW CLASSROOM, we virtually sat with artist Khari Johnson Ricks and discussed what it means to have a multidisciplinary practice where one practice informs and supports another. In the interview, Khari speaks to the power of his work and practices being rooted in love, community, relationships, the body, and of course, Jersey Club dance and music.  

 _________________________  

In his own words, here's a bit about artist Khari Johnson Ricks:  

"I am an artist and DJ whose work spans a range of audiovisual media and often exists in the public eye. This includes the production of zines, works on paper, performances, murals, and nightlife spaces. I often desire reprieve from the failures of the state and the constant peril black people face. My new work explores fellowship and engages acts of fiction and poetry to capture moments with kith and kin that feel loving. I ask myself what it means to make a family, community, friendship, when the world is so precarious, when the water rises, when death comes, and when all that is visible is capital. While my older work had been in conversation with vernacular movement traditions and martial arts practices like Shotokan Karate and Jersey Club dancing, which act as covert languages for those most targeted for capital extraction, I now explicitly center the fantastical and poetic nature of the Sublime. The works find their dramatic tension in the context of fragility, addressing my subjects’ deep alienation from, and even guilt in the face of, extended moments of peace. In this light, my work become testaments to the irrepressible urge of the imagination to metabolize, to reinvent, and to transcend." 

------------------

 Follow his work at: @madebykhari on IG  

 ___________ 

 *This episode is wonderfully sponsored by Flower Shop Collective. *  Flower Shop Collective is an art and fabrication studio that cultivates the ideas of emerging artists working towards more equitable futures. Their goal is to help artists of all skill levels execute their ideas, learn new techniques and have a safe space to do so, with a prioritization on immigrant artists, artists of color, and women-identifying artists. También les ofrecen todos estos servicios en Español.  For more information please head to flowershopcollective.com or @flowershopcollective on Instagram.  ___________ 

 Follow us: @artsywindow | artsywindow.com  To support our podcast and the work we do, please donate to us at artsywindow.com and click the "donate" tab. Or join us on patreon! Much love