Oklahoma artist Ebony Iman Dallas explores power of images and words in 'BLACKout' exhibit
As a celebrated visual artist, Ebony Iman Dallas has explored firsthand the power of images.
But in her new exhibition "BLACKout," the fifth-generation Black Oklahoman and second-generation Somali American also is using her work to ponder the power of words. Consider, for instance, the connotations of terms like "blacklisted" and "blackballed" vs. words like "fair" and "light."
"A lot of the words that are synonymous with Blackness are very, very, very negative, and I want to challenge that. One of the first pieces that I created for this series was titled 'Purity,' and if you look at it, it looks like just praying hands. But then once you really, really look at it, you see that there's a bar of soap in the hands — and it's a black bar. So, it challenges this idea of what purity means because a lot of times purity has been associated with whiteness, with cleanliness. And the opposite of that is blackness, which is synonymous with impurity and dirty," Dallas said.
"And what does that mean to someone's psyche? If that's what they hear about themselves when and if someone's called 'Black,' then what does that mean about me?"
The Tulsa-based mixed-media artist's first exhibit at the venerable Paseo Arts District gallery JRB Art at the Elms, "BLACKout" is on view through Aug. 31. The solo show includes a kaleidoscopic, hand-carved portrait of the late Oklahoma civic rights legend Clara Luper, a multi-sided 8-foot-tall mobile mural that chronicles the tragic story of the Tulsa Race Massacre and even a colorfully painted Wilson basketball that pays homage to Tulsa's historic Greenwood District.
"There's a lot of soul and emotion in her work ... and people really feel it when they walk in," said JRB Art at the Elms Gallery Manager Marcus Leonard.
Dallas, who is expecting her first child later this month, will give an artist talk Aug. 5 at JRB Art at the Elms. She talked with The Oklahoman this week about her ongoing "BLACKout" series, the early effects of motherhood and art as history:
Q: The show includes a replica of a piece of the large-scale mural that you co-created for the new Willa D. Johnson Recreation Center. How was it to see that piece installed this summer?
Dallas: From the sketch phase and then the creation phase all the way through making over 1,000 tiles as a team and now seeing it where it was always meant to be, which is on this beautiful wall in this beautiful facility, it's magical almost. ...
I've done this before with other murals, but this one was a lot different because it was a ceramic tile mural, which is the first ceramic project that I've had. So, it definitely elevated my work. ... I got to visit during the grand opening, and kids were just having a great time — and it just really matched the energy of the piece.
Q: How have pregnancy and motherhood affected your artistic career?
Dallas: I'm learning ways, well, first off, to be patient with my body and just really honest with people about how much I can handle right now. ... I've been asked several times about doing children's books and things like that, so I feel like having a child myself will make me more inclined to do projects like that.
Q: How has working in wood changed your art?
Dallas: It's definitely added a layer of richness to it. It has added a lot more of a new dimension, along with the fabric and gold leaf that I've also added to my repertoire over the last few years. One of the things that I never wanted to do was to create a fine art piece and then it be looked at as cartoony because I use very bright and colorful paints and things like that. So, I was concerned with that. ... But this is next level for me.
Q: You create a lot of portraits, and most of those depict people of color. How do you want viewers to perceive the people shown in your work?
Dallas: In a more realistic light, because I feel in the media, a lot of times people of color ... have just been shown in a more negative light. And I will say things have gotten better, but it's still not there yet. ...
Through my art, you'll see Christian symbols, some symbols from Islam, that set them in a more religious setting, just to show them in a more holy light. ... The textiles that I use mostly are African textiles. A lot of times I use Ghanaian textiles, Nigerian textiles, Somali textiles, and I have some Ethiopian textiles that I'll be using pretty soon. It's to call back to our rich heritage and pride, to share the pride that exists in what we've created.
Q: You created the centerpiece of the exhibit, 'Greenwood Imagine,' for the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial in 2021. Are you happy that the piece continues to tell the story of the Greenwood District and the race massacre?
Dallas: Oh, definitely, I'm glad. Even though I built that in Oklahoma City, it had never been exhibited in Oklahoma City. It's shown in Tulsa, it's shown in Norman, and so I'm really, really, really glad that we had the opportunity to showcase it in OKC.
It's a story that needs to be told and continue to be shared, because, unfortunately, we have laws like HB 1775 that won't allow us to truly tell the stories that have shaped our city, our cities, our state. For it to be illegal to really tell the truth is extremely unfortunate.
Q: Do you feel like that's part of the power of art, to be able to change misconceptions or reveal hidden histories?
Dallas: Definitely. I had a chance to see Harry Belafonte speak at OU, I believe it was in 2017 ... and ask him a question. And I asked him, 'What would your advice be to an artist who's struggling to decide whether to create pretty pictures that just sit well over couches and sell easily vs. work that deals with issues that are going on in society and telling stories that are more politically charged?'
And he immediately said, 'Basically, the work of an artist is to tell the truth.' He just went on into how he made the song 'Day-O' — and he even busted out into the lyrics. ... He said when he recorded that song and put it out into the world, the goal was to first just get into someone's house and into their ears. ... But eventually, they're going to understand the purpose behind that song. And the purpose behind that song, even though it's very melodic and beautiful, it was about the plight of the workers and how they worked all day and worked all night, daylight came, and they just wanted to go home — and how hard that life was.
So, I think the power of art and artists is that you can approach things in a way that, yes, they're beautiful to look at, but they also strike up conversation.
'EBONY IMAN DALLAS' BLACKOUT'
When: Through Aug. 31.
Where: JRB Art at the Elms, 2810 N Walker.
Artist talk: 2 p.m. Aug. 5.
Information: https://www.jrbartgallery.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/eidartanddesign.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ebony Iman Dallas challenges misconceptions with OKC show 'BLACKout'
