'Unresolved works' from Civil Rights Movement

“Untitled #26’’ (mixed media), by Jamal Thorne, in his show “Jamal Thorne: Fragments and Lost Verse,’’ at Kingston Gallery, Boston, June 24-July 26.

The gallery (kingstongallery.com) sent out this text:

“In the Kingston Project Space, Jamal Thorne’s ‘Fragments and Lost Verses’ features new work built (literally) on top of early experiments from 2012, based on imagery from the Civil Rights Movement. Calling them ‘unresolved works,’ and informed by new knowledge and purpose, Thorne uses layers of tape, paint, and imagery as a metaphor for the passage of time. As the artist states, ‘To me, time means everything, but it also means nothing. Sometimes you don't know who you were until you've grown up and had time to look back with wiser eyes.’

“The works in this exhibition move away from the rectangular to something amorphous, determined by the process. As he explores the space outside of the rectangle, and as new layers of tape and paint are added, each piece develops a personality of its own. It is a process that reveals itself over time.’’

'Delving into the past'

"Untitled #16" (mixed media on paper), by Jamal Thorne, in his show "Bootleg Delorean,'' at Kingston Gallery, Boston, Feb. 28-April 1.
 

The gallery says:

"These new paintings by Jamal Thorne {are} composite experiences that embody the dynamic of delving into the past while being confronted with the idiosyncrasies of the present. Events unfold and time moves forward. Thorne builds layers of paint and tape covering textured surfaces, with a process informed by the Civil Rights Movement, current and past. Each new layer preserves and makes an impression while some elements from the previous layers are lost. For Thorne the process of cutting deep into the accumulating layers serves to mimic the act of reclaiming a connection to the past, while the finished work is a documentation of shared experience.''