BENNIE HERRON: ORIGIN STORIES
/Bennie Herron: Origin Stories
January 13 - March 11, 2023, @ Mason Exhibitions Arlington
About the Exhibition
Bennie Herron’s creative output in poetry, painting, and social advocacy reflects on the often paradoxical conditions of being. His poetry presents a prismatic lens on his upbringing as a Black man, including close observations of the familial, interpersonal, and cultural forces that have shaped him. In these poems, the anecdotal may expand into ruminations on Biblical passages, or tales of the trials and joys of his adolescence may give way to fiery indictments of systemic problems such as racism, colonialism, and the perceptions of Black men in society. Herron’s verse style is informed in part by the socially conscious Hip Hop artists of the 1990s and poets of the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, among a myriad of other sources.
Herron’s paintings channel and concentrate the currents of his poetry. Using a consistent formal vocabulary, he depicts emotionally charged busts of figures in dramatic contours, filled with dynamic and often fractured interiors. He has characterized these larger-than-life figures as “mirrors.” Not exactly self-portraits, the figures reflect and refract emotional states yet are self-contained and usually stoic in their demeanor. With the formal immediacy of religious icons remixed with the confrontational style of street art, each figure seems to be role-playing or perhaps literalizing a double consciousness. They flicker between anonymity and archetype. Existential in bearing, they present a multiplicity of possible selves.
About the Artist
Herron was born in San Diego, CA to a blue-collar family. He describes his upbringing as a challenging but fulfilling childhood rooted in unconditional love. The memories of his youth continue to be the undercurrent of his paintings, writings and social advocacy. Herron has an MFA in Creative Writing National University in San Diego, he has published three books of poetry, and has performed across the country. Additionally, Herron has had a career in the social service field for 25 years, working with a variety of communities, including public schools, prisons, and universities. He currently works with Fairfax County as a Father Engagement Specialist. He lives and works in Manassas, VA.
Artist Website: Bennieherron.com
Bennie Herron, infinity , acrylic on canvas, 76" x 61"
Press Release
In the galleries: Four artists’ concepts of Black identity
Also: A gallery’s newest artists explore order and disorder through repurposed materials Review by Mark Jenkins March 3, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EST
… Herron’s paintings are not literally historical, but titles such as “Scottsboro Men” invoke infamies of the African American past. Perhaps the most striking picture portrays a man with black, spiky symbols protruding from his head and is called “Middle Passenger,” a reference to the transatlantic trade in enslaved people. Yet there’s a sense of triumph in these portraits, represented by the crowns Herron sometimes positions on or over his subjects’ heads. As one painting’s title puts it, “Kings Are Everywhere.”…
INSTALLATION VIEWS
Credit by Sophie (Soohyun) Bae
Exhibit Images
Outdoor Media Installation
Additional programming supporting the exhibition:
Events will take place at Mason Exhibitions Arlington unless otherwise noted. The exhibition and events are free and open to members of the media and the public.
