On View
On viewObject number2021.31
Irving's Class
Artist
Conrad Egyir
(Ghanian, 1989)
Date2021
Mediumoil, acrylic, mounted wood on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 48 × 44 × 2 1/2 in. (121.9 × 111.8 × 6.4 cm)
Credit LineElisabeth Claire Lahti Fund
Exhibition History"Legendary Voices: Art for the Next Century," KIA (September 7 - February 18, 2025)Label TextFrom ancient Egypt to present, the practice of portraiture has flourished globally for over 5,000 years. Portraiture records the lives of individuals in ways that illustrate beauty, intelligence, leadership, wealth, and other qualities. Irving’s Class, 2021 by Conrad Egyir, is a portrait of a masked individual.The composition, infused with philosophical musings, both conceals and exposes aspects of the sitter’s character. Cleverly using a face mask, the artist conveys the challenges and opportunities presented by this current pandemic moment in our society. The mask also disguises the sitter's gender. Egyir begins his process by using photography to capture his subjects with props intended for the final painting. As the work evolves, the artist adds and subtracts elements that contextualize and emphasize the sitter and the subject matter. The process gives rise to a type of personal tableau that, like history, represents a narrative that has evolved from an original (in this case, photographic) “truth.” This painting is the first of a new series of works by Egyir where he combines philosophical and spiritual references with symbolic crowns. Three books confer knowledge and power upon the head of a sitter. Two books directly reference the vibrancy and diversity of the Detroitarea contemporary arts scene. The last volume refers to Dapper Dan, a designer and fashion icon from Harlem, New York. Seemingly, the sitter carries the historic and contemporary legacies of both Harlem and Detroit, two communities that have indeliby impacted the globe through Black creativity. Despite having the nose and mouth covered, during Covid, social distancing, and quarantines, this creative legacy has not been silenced. The Black Cube logo refers to an imaginary creative space that will give rise to new artistic endeavors. The peace lily in a gold planter (left) and lush green leaves (right) are hopeful signs of peace, prosperity, and resurrection. The words Tabula Affinatatum refers to healing, explicitly referencing a chart that identified compatible combinations for medical treatments commissioned by pharmacist Franz Huber Hoefer in 1766 for the Grand Duke of Florence’s apothecary. To the sitter’s left, Egyir declares amare. The word is widely recognized as Latin for “to love,” but it also carries meanings in Sanskrit, Igbo, and Amharic referencing immortality, strength, and physical beauty. With these words, Egyir evokes emotional and spiritual characteristics that connect art and creativity to the core tenants of humanity, including a desire to build on the past to create healthy new beginnings.
Conrad Egyir received a BA from Judson University, Elgin, IL in Studio Art in 2015 and his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2018. His work is in the permanent collections of Pérez Art Museum, Miami; The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit; the JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, NY; and the Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI, among others. Egyir has been awarded residencies by Vermont Studio Center; ACRE Residency, Wisconsin; the Ox-Bow School of Arts and Artist Residency, Saugatuck, MI; and the International Studio & Curatorial Program, Brooklyn. The artist has been featured in solo shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit in 2020, and the UTA Artist Space (Beverly Hills, CA) and the Institute of Contemporary Art San José, as part of their The Facade Project, both in 2021. Egyir lives and works in Detroit, MI. [Collection Highlight]There are no works to discover for this record.