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We Wear the Mask

Curtis Barnes Sr. We Wear the Mask

Exhibited

10 Sep 2022 to 29 Jan 2023

Location

Faurschou New York

148 Green Street Greenpoint, Brooklyn New York, NY 11222 USA

We Wear the Mask presents paintings by Curtis Barnes Sr. in New York for the first time. Barnes (1935-2019) spent most of his life as a key figure in the artistic community of Dayton, Ohio, producing a rich body of work that drew on the liberatory frameworks of post-colonial thinkers, free improvisation of jazz music, and enduring friendships and mentorships.

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WE WEAR THE MASK THAT GRINS AND LIES, IT HIDES OUR CHEEKS AND SHADES OUR EYES,— THIS DEBT WE PAY TO HUMAN GUILE; WITH TORN AND BLEEDING HEARTS WE SMILE, AND MOUTH WITH MYRIAD SUBTLETIES. WHY SHOULD THE WORLD BE OVER-WISE, IN COUNTING ALL OUR TEARS AND SIGHS? NAY, LET THEM ONLY SEE US, WHILE WE WEAR THE MASK.

We Wear the Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

Horoscope Vision, 1976-77
Oil on canvas
52 x 101 in

“Everything I do is an attempt to find self. I haven’t found self yet. That’s why I‘m still working.”

Curtis Barnes Sr., 2010