Antoine William’s mixed media art is visually appealing, but that's not all it is.
Williams strives to bring culture to Indie Grits, displaying his thought provoking sculptures centered around hierarchy, power and struggles in America that stem from his personal experiences to create a larger conversation and spark social commentary.
“My work is somewhat autobiographical,” he said. “And being from a small town has shaped my perspective.”
This year is Williams' first time at Indie Grits, but this isn’t his first art show. He has pieces in The Mint Museum of Art, UNC Charlotte's permanent collection, and in art collector’s homes.
He began creating art when he was young and fairly shy. Unable to verbally communicate confidently, he used art as an outlet to share his opinions with the world. But as he grew older, he knew he wanted this to be a career.
“I’ve always wanted to make really large installations in public spaces. So, when Indie Grits contacted me I was definitely interested,” Williams said. “Also, the theme this year is Future Perfect, which is great for me since I’m thinking of the future and how we as humans will continue to interact and treat one another. Plus, this residency is a great place to meet and hang out with other creative people.”
The subjects of his art range from personal experiences, to current events, to ideologies that may inspire his work. Whatever inspires him turns into art.
“Sometimes, there may be a memory or something that happens in the news, like the policeman in North Charleston shooting the man in his back [eight] times as he ran away, which I have a strong emotional reaction to,” he said. “I attempt to represent those emotions visually by combining images and materials that normally don’t fit together.”
Williams is interested in how science fiction relates to the black experience in America and attempts to communicate this through his sculptures. He has also created a world of gods that help translate the struggles between hierarchy and power.
“My practice is an investigation of my cultural identity through the exploration of power as it relates to social stratification,” William’s artist statement reads. “My desire is to create a variety of pieces which create a mythology on which I question how low income communities of color and their relation with other social classes affect perception and behavior.”
The gods Williams created are versions of animals in current black culture inspired by his experiences in a rural town, his childhood in Red Springs, North Carolina and watching his friends morph into drug dealers. His artwork embodies how one is simply placed in the social hierarchy and what stems from that. He uses issues in society to create anti-art, which was part of 20th century Dadaism, where lower classes made art that rejected conformity and rejected traditional ideals of exclusion. He said he strives for his art to interest not only the academics in universities, but also the janitors.
“Coming from a small rural town and having parents who were factory workers then going into academia, class became very apparent to me. I use to wonder why I knew more people in jail than college,” Williams said. “Then I learned of the structural power hierarchy which organizes our places in society. Being able to see how this power structure affect those at the bottom by clipping them at the knees making opportunity and autonomy in life harder to obtain.”
He works with all different mediums according to how well they fit the subject he is creating or the message he is trying to communicate. He uses anything from acrylic and oil paint to ink to collage.
“I also use what (are) called found objects. I walk around looking for items with interesting shapes, colors and textures,” Williams said. “For instance in the installation at Tapps Art Center, I use shards of broken wood used in rail road tracks in one of the pieces.”
Art aficionados can expect to see his solo art exhibition “The Wound and the Knife” in Sumter County Gallery of Art coming April 23. As for Indie Grits, William’s art installations will be displayed in Tapps Art Center at the Richland Library.
“With some of these pieces there of some emotions I’m trying to translate. However, I don’t want to dictate what people take away from my pieces,” Williams said. “Whether they love it or hate it, I just want them to have a meaningful experience with them. Hopefully, my work can be a part of a larger conversation that paints an interesting picture of the times we are living.”
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