Monday, March 18, 2024

April Bey

April Bey grew up in The Bahamas (New Providence) and now resides and works in Los Angeles, CA as a visual artist and art educator. Bey’s interdisciplinary artwork is an introspective and social critique of American and Bahamian culture, feminism, generational theory, social media, AfroFuturism, AfroSurrealism, post-colonialism and constructs of race within supremacist systems.  

Bey’s work is in the collection of The California African American Museum, The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Fullerton College Art Gallery, Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, CA, and more. Bey has exhibited in biennials NE7, NE8 and NE9 in The Bahamas. Bey has also exhibited internationally in Italy, Spain and Accra Ghana, West Africa.

Bey has launched 5 solo exhibitions: Picky Head at Liquid Courage Gallery in Nassau, Bahamas, COMPLY at Coagula Curatorial in Chinatown, Los Angeles, MADE IN SPACE at Band of Vices Gallery in West Adams, a large survey of work spanning several years, Welcome to Atlantica at Fullerton College Art gallery and most recently a solo presentation with UPFOR Gallery at UNTITLED ART ONLINE Art Fair. 

Bey is both a practicing contemporary artist and art educator having taught a controversial course at Art Center College of Design called Pretty Hurts analyzing process-based art and Beyoncé hashtag faux feminism.  Bey is currently a tenured professor at Glendale College.

And I’m Calm, Calculated and Perfectly Aligned aprilbey@gmail.com Watercolor drawing, acrylic paint, epoxy resin, hand-sewn “African” fabric, oil impasto 40 x 30 in 2020
COLONIAL SWAG: First Edition Atlanticans aprilbey@gmail.com Digital print stapled into eco fur on panel 30 x 24 in 2021

 

 

 

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2 COMMENTS

  1. […] April Bey spoke to us from Los Angeles in late February. She was anticipating receiving her first vaccine later in the week. Her role as an educator made her eligible at the time. Bey is a full-time art educator at Glendale College, though this semester she has opted to teach half-time and work on curriculum work. Bey is also busy getting ready for her first show at the California African American Museum. This will be her largest installation to date. The show, titled Welcome to Atlantica, depicts a fictitious planet where Bey has been sent from another planet to report. There are themes of Afrofuturism and Afrosurrealism as well as a tourist attraction theme. Bey grew up on a small island in the Bahamas and there is a distinct nod to this as well. To hear more about this work and more, listen to the complete interview. […]

  2. […] April Bey spoke to us from Los Angeles in late February. She was anticipating receiving her first vaccine later in the week. Her role as an educator made her eligible at the time. Bey is a full-time art educator at Glendale College, though this semester she has opted to teach half-time and work on curriculum work. Bey is also busy getting ready for her first show at the California African American Museum. This will be her largest installation to date. The show, titled Welcome to Atlantica, depicts a fictitious planet where Bey has been sent from another planet to report. There are themes of Afrofuturism and Afrosurrealism as well as a tourist attraction theme. Bey grew up on a small island in the Bahamas and there is a distinct nod to this as well. To hear more about this work and more, listen to the complete interview. […]

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