Exhibition Review: Shawn Theodore’s Night Stars
Fanm Jade Ble, 60”h x 40”w @ Shawn Theodore, Courtesy Paradigm Gallery
Text by Demetra Nikolakakis
Copy Editor: Maggie Boccella
Shawn Theodore’s Night Stars is filled with ethereal subjects and striking blues, drawing viewers in with its sublime beauty. The exhibition, which is available in-person and virtually through April 11th at the Paradigm Gallery, combines African pasts and futures, real and imaginary, into what Theodore refers to as ‘Afromythology’. The photographs reference African religions and traditions via hypnotizing depictions, capturing a feeling rather than a moment.
Gid La, 36”h x 28”w @ Shawn Theodore, Courtesy Paradigm Gallery
Water, the night sky, and the color blue are all central to Night Stars, each imbuing the images with religious or historical references. As Theodore explains, ancestral water spirits are central to African religious traditions involving the dead, and for certain African martial arts, bodies of water are used as a bridge between the living and the dead, allowing those who cross to communicate with their ancestors. The night sky, particularly the North Star, was used by enslaved Africans as a means of navigation, and indigo was the first major crop grown by slaves, becoming incredibly valuable at the expense of African suffering. These elements are rich and diverse, yet all intersect at a particular point: a deep blue color, extremely prevalent throughout Night Stars.
He Makes The Ether Rise, 36”h x 28”w @ Shawn Theodore, Courtesy Paradigm Gallery
Theodore’s usage of the color blue is also partially inspired by cyanotype, a twentieth century photographic process that created blue-tone prints, but was seldom used to photograph Black individuals. Though he does not use cyanotype in his work, filters, colored lights, and selective subject matter help to imbue blue into the series. The contrast between dark blue and subject matter instantly catches viewers’ attention, while the curves etched within the photographs create a hypnotizing effect. By heavily featuring the color blue in Night Stars, Theodore pays homage to its significance in African culture while working to redefine the exclusionary relationship between blue-toned photography and African subjects.
An Underwater Constellation, 36”h x 28”w @ Shawn Theodore, Courtesy Paradigm Gallery
Many of the images in Night Stars feature deep blue backgrounds, a dynamic contrast from their subjects. Yet the most striking example may be “An Underwater Constellation”, in which a woman poses before the sky and the sea. Though stars and waves mark the edges of their reach, the elements seem to blur in the middle, rendering the horizon indistinguishable. The woman’s pleated dress is fanned out, the diaphanous material allowing brilliant blues to shine through while the creases create the slightest of ripples in the background’s reflection. The image invites viewers to become lost within it, the deep blues pulling the viewer in as if they were waves in the sea.
Maroontown Stroll, 28”h x 36”w @ Shawn Theodore, Courtesy Paradigm Gallery
Though Theodore predominantly uses strong blue lights and filters to create otherworldly backgrounds, some of the images in Night Stars opt for a subtler approach, exploring the color’s relatively natural occurrences. In “Maroontown Stroll”, a town is depicted just before dusk, red lights illuminating the street and twilight pinks streaked through the sky, the clouds’ shadows filled with deep blues. The colors reflect on the lush vegetation below, glowing softly as if in a dream. The simplicity of nature becomes imbued with ephemeral color – the deep blue clouds only last for an hour or so as the sun sets, the colors of the sky changing quickly. The resulting image is ethereal, a photograph so beautiful it becomes hypnotizing, depicting a moment viewers could live in forever.
Although each image in Night Stars is unique, the works are united in their symbolism and their sublime beauty. To experience ‘Night Stars’ virtually, you can visit the Viewing Room.
