Jeff Sonhouse’s latest exhibition, “Pawnography,” at the Tilton Gallery in New York explores the role of the black male in today’s shifting socio-political climate. His vivid portraits, rendered as mixed media paintings or drawings, depict a variety of political and anonymous figures, their faces sometimes masked or completely obscured. In the case of the latter (examples below), the effect is reminiscent of Francis Bacon’s harrowing representations of authoritarian politicos. These often colorful works ask the viewer to consider the dark undercurrents of our cultural and political landscapes. As the exhibition title suggests, both we and the subjects in Sonhouse’s paintings are instruments in a game we may never fully comprehend. (Source: www.coolhunting.com)
