From a makeshift bike ramp to an uphill struggle with a lawn mower, the scenes in Titus Kaphar’s oil paintings are simultaneously familiar and personal. Drawing on memories, he contemplates the meaning of family, community, loss, grief, and everyday life in working-class America.
These works, shown in a gallery setting for the first time at Gagosian, were made for the artist’s semi-autobiographical, debut film, Exhibiting Forgiveness, which screened at Sundance earlier this year and comprises the centerpiece of the presentation.
Featuring André Holland (Moonlight and Passing) alongside Andra Day and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, the film was written and directed by Kaphar and follows the story of an accomplished painter whose life is upended by an unexpected reunion with his estranged father.
Springing “from the same personal, emotional and psychological well” that provides the source for all of his work, Kaphar portrays neighborhood houses, figures, and personal objects that transport us to both the artist’s childhood and the universal experiences associated with coming of age.
In “So vulnerable,” for example, two of the three figures scaling a fence have been rubbed out, as if time or unknown events have erased all but their ghostly impressions. In “I hear you in my head,” a figure cutting the lawn has been removed from the canvas altogether, leaving only a void.
Exhibiting Forgiveness continues through November 2 at Gagosian Beverly Hills, and the film is slated for release in theaters nationwide on October 18. Find more on the artist’s website.
