Introduction to the Art of Alexis Peskine

Location

Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, Warren Auditorium

Free

French visual artist Alexis Peskine will introduce us to his art and works on politics, identity, race, and the black body experience in France. From the perspective of his own diverse cultural heritage (his father is Franco-Russian, his mother Afro-Brazilian, and his grandfather was a Jew who survived the German death camps), Peskine who grew up in Paris addresses the trauma that arises from the way society regards people who are different.

“My art is just an elaborate response to my reflections about what I have witnessed. I think my diverse background helps me understand that the problem is not White on Black hatred, Jewish on Arab hatred or Arab on Jewish hatred, the problem is hatred, or domination or anything that hampers liberty and equality.”

Alexis Peskine is an award-winning French artist based in Paris, Dakar and New York. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Howard University, and a Master’s of Fine Arts from Mounty Royal School of Art at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he also received a Master’s in Digital Arts Education. Peskine was trained as a graphic designer. His technique is unique: he transforms portraits into pictures formed by points, which he creates using nine different sizes of nails and pop-inspired graphics. By inserting nails that sit at different heights he forms a relief on the surface of the image that provides a three-dimensional aspect to his work.

This event is supported by an ESFI grant and co-sponsored by the Black Student Resource Center, the departments of Art, Architecture + Art History and Ethnic Studies, the College of Arts and Sciences, the International Center, and the Center for Inclusion and Diversity.