Private View Wednesday 21 May 6:30-8:30pm
Kofi Perry (b.1998, Sidon) is an American-Iranian contemporary artist whose work reimagines ancient history and contemporary Black American culture. His large-scale narrative paintings, made with peinture à l'essence on canvas, overlay architectural landscapes with symbolic objects and the human figure. His figuration offers a personal take on classicism, drawn from the shared aesthetics of ancient civilisations: anatomical idealisation, round and simple forms and frieze compositions. In addition to Perry's large paintings, his intimate portraits, museal still life paintings, ceramics, and sound works all build on a continuous lore. His fictional world evokes themes of catastrophe, spirituality, and creativity, intertwined with the politics of gangsta rap and imagery of the Black Panther Party. Athleticism and superheroism are utilised as vital symbols of the resilience required to navigate a predominantly White society as a Black individual. Perry's practice is wilfully anachronistic; as much as his modern references inform a unique vision of the ancient past, so does archaeology and prehistory colour his imaginings of contemporary Black culture. By drafting multifarious histories and images that defy ready meaning, his work targets a select audience that can decipher his symbolism, draw inspiration, and ultimately feel empowered to resist a climate of increasing dystopia.
The exhibition is accompanied by a text by Nikita Sena, which can be read here.
Perry studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, USA, and completed his BFA Hons at City and Guilds of London Art School, London, UK (2022). His debut institutional solo exhibition 'Remnants From a Distant Future' opened in 2024 at the Lightbox Gallery in Woking, UK. Recent exhibitions include 'portrait of an artist (pool with two figures)', Cob, London ( 2024); 1-54 Art Fair with DADA Gallery, ' Tender Communions', DADA Gallery, London (2024); the Ingram Prize, Cromwell Place, London (2023); and D Contemporary, London (2023). He is the recipient of the Charles Toppan Prize (2020), the Baton Fine Art Prize (2022), and the Ingram Prize (2023).
