Color Him Pissed

“I can’t solve the world’s problems. I paint the world’s problems,” Purvis Young has observed in the past. His work brims with stark symbols conveying the economic and cultural divides in the Magic City and beyond. They typically depict images of horses, pregnant women, convoys of trucks, airplanes and angels, and the Zulu warriors he considers his tribe. Young, who was recently hospitalized for a kidney ailment, has turned his attention to the contentious presidential primaries for inspiration and focused his sights on political chicanery in a new body of work.

“Sitting in the hospital bed watching all the news about the upcoming election has been keeping me up-to-date as these political events unfold — all the wiles and doublespeak and backstabbing is going to inform my work when I am back painting,” Young recently declared. At 7 p.m., the artist is opening his Purvis Young Studios with a wine reception during the Wynwood Gallery Walk to give those crooked pols in Washington a dose of his mind. “For more than 30 years, I have protested about the ills around me through my paintings, and all this tongue wagging by politicians has certainly got me riled up,” the artist added. Amen to that. The exhibit runs through July 11.
June 14-11, 2008