CentralTrak will present Houston-based artist Nathaniel Donnett, who will speak as part of its Next Topic lecture series with a question and answer session moderated by Vicki Meek.
Positioning his multidisciplinary work, which includes elements of drawing, sculpture, painting and performance, as an exercise in cultural practice as opposed to solely functioning as an expression of a professional or artistic practice, Donnett will explore the roots of his work within the framework of the concept of “Dark Imaginarence.” Dark Imaginarence blurs the meaning of manifesto, artist statement, and personal philosophy. It marries psycho-sociopolitical concerns with the imagination and experiences of the black people in the United States, particularly in the South, and as an extension the African diaspora.
Recognizing the limits of language in relaying contexts and/or concepts Donnett employs music and visual imagery to extend and expand the dialogue around his practice. His work explores the human behavioral relationships between the collective and the individual consciousness and the psychosocial and sociopolitical relationships that shape them. In his talk, Donnett will explore the relationship of his work to contemporary art, social engagement, participatory practice, and African American culture, which it is rooted through the lecture and performance format.