Michael Ray Charles, 1989-1997: An American Artist’s Work

Blaffer Gallery, the art museum at the University of Houston, is proud to present the exhibition, Michael Ray Charles, 1989-1997: An American Artist’s Work. 

Race and racial relations are paramount themes for national discussion and are being addressed in various venues and forums. Artists have been among the most articulate spokespersons about such issues, both today and throughout history. Blaffer Gallery presents the first major museum exhibition of work by African-American artist Michael Ray Charles. His revised depictions of stereotypical characters such as Sambo, Buckwheat, and Aunt Jemima twist racial and racist stereotyping, calling attention to contemporary issues of race and prejudice. In addition to the 70 paintings and works on paper, Michael Ray Charles, 1989-1997: An American Artist’s Work will be augmented with a selection of popular culture reference objects from the artists collection. 

Charles’ carefully crafted and “aged” canvases and works on paper are sometimes presented simply tacked to the wall. His politically-charged imagery addresses the history of racism and prejudice and calls attention to its role in contemporary society. Charles’ reinterpretations of Norman Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post covers, circus posters, and advertisements use humor and word play to twist racial and racist stereotypes. The artist’s images of mammies, Sambos, and jesters subvert the original (often overtly pejorative) intent on these figures. He adopts and recontextualizes these images and uses layers of puns and word play to address issues of race and bigotry. Some of these issues he confronts include how tobacco and liquor companies’ marketing strategies target minorities, the depiction of African-Americans in the entertainment and sports industries, and concepts of “all-American (white) beauty.” Addressing the reclamation of these characters, Charles states that the “sambo image and images like that of the early 1900s and 1800s laid the format for how we consume images about who we are and who other people are. We are products of products past” [and] “I’m interested in the past that exists in the present that will possibly be the future. I was seeking elements of Americanism.”

The exhibition will be accompanied by a two-volume 55-page catalog that includes large scale color reproductions, an introduction by filmmaker Spike Lee, an essay by Dr. Marilyn Kern-Foxworth, an extensive interview with the artist, an artist biography and a bibliography.