Rah Crawford
| Rah Crawford | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1973 |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Visual art |
| Movement | Neo pop art |
| 🌐 Website | rahcrawford |
Search Rah Crawford on Amazon.
Rah Crawford (born in 1973)[1] is an American visual artist and founder of NPIC-Art who lives in New York City.
Early Life[edit]
Crawford was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1]
Career[edit]
Crawford spent a decade developing what he calls Neoteric Pop-Iconic Clairvoyance Art (NPIC-Art), in which he uses hidden words and numerals woven into the hair and skin of the portraits he paints.[2]
In November 2014, Crawford made his debut at Qbix Gallery in Philadelphia with works based on his NPIC-Art manifesto. In 2005, he presented the painting 24K Godz at the “Taboo” juried exhibition hosted by Studio Montclair in Newark, New Jersey, which spotlighted emerging artists outside the traditional New York gallery scene.[3]
In London and Amsterdam, some of his images were licensed for home decor items, which retailed in the Stedelijk Museum Store at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.[citation needed] On New Year’s Eve 2004, Crawford created live art on stage when he performed with The Roots at the Electric Factory in his hometown of Philadelphia.[2] In 2005, Young Benefactors of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. auctioned one of Crawford's works.[citation needed]
In 2008, Private View commissioned Crawford to create portraits of several Olympic athletes for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. In 2008, the SONS Museum (Shoes or No Shoes) in Kruishoutem, Belgium, acquired the Diesel shoes Crawford wore while working in his studio, and they are exhibited as part of the museum’s permanent collection.[4]
In 2008, a selection of Crawford’s artworks were featured in the group exhibition “I AM A MAN” at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) in Brooklyn, New York.[5] New York Times reviewer Holland Cotter described Crawford’s work as "exuberant,"[6] and Monica Drake described it as “buoyant" and “optimistic."[5]
The Art History Archive includes Crawford in a list of 17 Neo-Pop artists.[7]
In 2009, the City of Philadelphia named Crawford as one of 11 creative ambassadors as part of its Philly 360°® campaign. Crawford and the other ambassadors, which included The Roots, Rich Medina and King Britt,[8]
Crawford founded the League of Inspiration in 2017 as a new approach to education.[9]
In 2015, Crawford presented at TEDx Bushwick.[10]
Crawford launched the NO MUSE NO ART™ brand in June 2017 with a series of t-shirts featuring NPIC-Art, graphic images, and philosophical statements. The ethos of the art-centric lifestyle brand is “Without inspiration, there is no creation."
Exhibition series[edit]
“Welcome to Earth — Rah Crawford’s Art Experience” — was an exhibition divided into four separate acts, which revealed Crawford’s vision over time. It began in Philadelphia with “Act 01: Human” on November 5, 2004 and concluded in New York with “Act 04: Abracadabra” on June 7, 2015. For each exhibition, Crawford collaborated with artists from a variety of creative disciplines to create an immersive experience for his audience.[7]
Act 01: Human[edit]
Crawford exhibited “Act 01: Human” at Qbix Gallery in Philadelphia.[7]
Act 02: Deux Ex Machina[edit]
Crawford’s exhibition “Act 02: Deus Ex Machina” at Qbix Gallery in Philadelphia included one-of-a-kind framed oil paintings and four-foot large works. Crawford committed to destroying four of his paintings, at midnight on the last day of the exhibition, unless the collectors bought those pieces. Out of the four, one painting was purchased and two destroyed. The crowd pleaded in unison to save the final painting Mr. and Mrs. Bear, a 30x30-inch oil painting on board, which by that time had a six-inch vertical saw cut in the bottom center of the painting.[11]
Act 03: Loovorfook[edit]
“Act 03: Loovorfook” held at Qbix Gallery in Philadelphia was one Crawford’s of most erotic art exhibitions to date. The exhibition program asked “what drives your sex?”. There was a red-lit window in the gallery, where a performance art piece was held: a body painted couple interacting becoming closer through the night. An honorary official was provided for couples at the pre-party to make public declarations and vows of love to each other.[7]
Act 04: Abracadabra[edit]
Crawford exhibited “Act 04: Abracadabra” at Lightspace Studios, an expansive 5,100-square-foot production studio in Brooklyn, New York. The exhibition included Crawford’s paintings and projected images of his works, as well as aerialists, performance artists and sound art, which transformed the exhibition into a sensorial experience.[7]
Murals[edit]
In 2011, Crawford painted a mural at the five-point intersection at St. Nicholas Avenue and Troutman Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn with the phrase “No Muse No Art”.[citation needed]
In 2018, local artists, including Crawford, were given grants to paint multistory murals to improve two blocks in Bushwick. Crawford’s “We Are Golden” mural depicted Bushwick residents including a pigtailed girl with an outstretched arm holding a red balloon.[12]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Rah Crawford, Neo Pop Artist - The Art History Archive". www.arthistoryarchive.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Artist of the Day: Rah Crawford". PopSugar.
- ↑ Parks, Andrew. "Appetite for Destruction". Philadelphia City Paper.
- ↑ "SONS - Shoes Or No Shoes?". SONS. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Drake, Monica (November 7, 2008). "Spare Times". The New York Times.
- ↑ Cotter, Holland (2008-11-21). "Art in Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Rah Crawford, Neo Pop Artist". The Art History Archive.
- ↑ "GPTMC Launches PHILLY 360°™, The Book, During The Roots Picnic". Official Philadelphia Tourism Pressroom. Visit Philadelphia.
- ↑ "About". The League of Inspiration. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
- ↑ "TEDxBushwick". TED.com. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ↑ Parks, Andrew. "Arts Agenda : Picks". Philadelphia City Paper.
- ↑ Margolies, Jane (August 24, 2018). "An Artful Makeover for Two Bushwick Blocks". The New York Times.
This article "Rah Crawford" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Rah Crawford. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
