where legends are made campaign

News

Artist Michi Meko To Lecture on UA Campus

  • Posted on: January 7th, 2019

Tuscaloosa – Multidisciplinary artist Michi Meko will deliver a public lecture Thursday, January 24, 2019 at 7:00 pm in Gorgas Library 205 on UA campus. Michi Meko. Image courtesy of the artist.

Atlanta Magazine has called Meko’s work about “the contemporary experience of black life and survival.” A native of Florence, Alabama, the Atlanta-based, multidisciplinary artist draws influence from Southern culture and contemporary urban life. In a recent interview, he said, “I am interested in African Americans and ideas about buoyancy, navigation, and being resilient. This resiliency for me is heroic.” Meko’s recent solo exhibitions include It Doesn’t Prepare You for Arrival at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta; KAZUKO at the Cress Gallery, University of Chattanooga; and One Last Smile Before the Undertow at the Dodd Galleries, University of Georgia, Athens. Recent group exhibitions include This is Where You’ll Find Me at Kress on Dexter, Montgomery, Ala., and Gut Feelings, Zuckerman Museum of Art, Kennesaw State University, in Georgia.

Michi Meko, "The Antique Blacks," latex Paint, acrylic paint, white grease pencil, aerosol, India ink, gold leaf, brass chandelier, ribbon, black landscaping cloth, light fixture, on wood panel. Image courtesy of the artist. Michi Meko, "Studying the Silences: We Used to Eat This Back Home," 2017, mixed media, 180 x 300 x 60 inches. Image courtesy of the artist. Michi Meko, "The Navigator," 2016, mixed media, 46 by 35 by 13 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.

Michi Meko received a BFA in painting from the University of North Alabama. Recent grants and awards include a Joan Mitchell Award, Artadia Award, MOCA GA Fellowship, DashBoard Co-Op Residency Grant, a Flux Projects Grant, a Wonderroot CSA Grant, and a residency at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Meko  is represented by Alan Avery Art Company. His website is: http://michimeko.com/.

Michi Meko, "Before We Blast Off: The Journey of Divine Forces," 2016, Mixed media, 168” x 300”. Image courtesy of the artist. Michi Meko, "The Thing," 2017, Wire and leather, 14” x 8” x 8”. Image courtesy of the artist. Michi Meko, To Be Us Takes Leaps of Faith,” latex paint, acrylic paint, white grease pencil, white oil pastel, aerosol, india ink, gold leaf, gold twine, red stick pens, 2017, 216 x 456 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.

Michi Meko’s lecture is part of the Visiting Artist and Scholar Lecture Series, sponsored by the Department of Art and Art History, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Continuing Studies at The University of Alabama. To see our past and future visiting artists and scholars, go here: https://art.ua.edu/resources/visiting-artists/.  

Gorgas Library is a five-minute walk from the Campus Drive Parking Deck and Bus Hub on Hackberry Lane. (Map here: http://bit.ly/BusHub2Gorgas ) Information about visitor parking is available here: http://bamaparking.ua.edu/visitor-information/. 

For more information about The University of Alabama’s programs in studio art and art history, go here: https://art.ua.edu/academics/.