MEMORIES PART II, Ford Foundation Live Gallery

New York Live Arts (Live Arts) Ford Foundation Live Gallery presents three recent paintings by renowned artist Chaz Guest, in which he reclaims longstanding cultural narratives through powerful new tales. The works will welcome audiences to Live Arts’ fall 2022 season with an opening reception on Thursday, September 15th at 5:30pm, Free with RSVP. The Ford Foundation Live Gallery is free and open to the public daily from 10:00am to 9:00pm.
Known for profound inventiveness in capturing the raw essence of the universal human spirit, Guest leaves those who encounter his works moved in powerfully personal ways. From his acclaimed “Cotton Series” paintings of enslaved African Americans rendered on 100% pure Georgia cotton flags to his latest graphic novel creation Buffalo Warrior, Guest proudly inserts his culture into every piece he makes.

Guest begins each painting in the style of a Japanese Sumi ink drawing, creating free-flowing, calligraphic brushstrokes across the canvas. These gestures are not always visible in the final compositions, but their influence is apparent in the strokes of pigment that coalesce into figure and action. Invited to paint on stage in Japan in 1997 during a performance by saxophonist Kenny Garrett, Guest attributes the dance-like motions of his brush to this experience, when he created his first ‘live painting’ to the
sounds and spirit of music. In the same way jazz greats layer sound through improvisation, Guest creates the characteristic layered effects of his art through a masterful handling of pigments.

Guest’s work is featured in collections of President Barack Obama, Michael A. Lawson, Oprah Winfrey, Beth Rudin Dewoody, Ted Sarrandos and Nicole Avant, Angelina Jolie, Bob Rennie Collection, Tyler Perry, and as well as the Vito Schnabel Gallery in NYC and Night Gallery in Los Angeles.