Apr 3rd 2021

Leasho Johnson: OUT & BAD

@ FLXST Contemporary

2251 S Michigan Ave, Suite 220, Chicago, IL 60616

Opening Saturday, April 3rd, from 5:30PM - 8PM

On view through Sunday, May 23rd

You are invited to celebrate the opening of the second solo show by Leasho Johnson at FLXST Contemporary entitled “OUT & BAD,” featuring new paintings by the artist in the A-Side of the gallery. The opening reception will take place on Saturday, April 3, 2021, from 5:30 pm to 8 pm.

The title “OUT & BAD “ comes from an expression popularized at the beginning of the new millennium by Dancehall DJs in Jamaica. Additionally, the artist imbues the title of the show with significance as a Jamaican queer black artist located on the outside looking in. Leasho works on the periphery, which affords him the freedom to play with and critique stereotypes of black masculinities and sexualities as well as to create counter-narratives from the borderline that separates the seen and unseen. The artist is preoccupied with these contradictions, as they inspire the creation of spaces for worldmaking and queer figurations. While these contradictions enable the artist to produce artwork that connects him to lived realities, they also allow Leasho a chance to exorcise the ghosts tied to the historical past and to imagine beings from a neo-future yet to arrive, in order to make them visible to viewers in the here and now.

The gallery is on the second floor, Suite 220 (to be let in, please select the gallery’s name on the intercom with the green arrow). There are stairs and an elevator that you can use to reach the second floor.

You must book a time slot for the opening reception using the TOCK app or website. Face masks are required at all times in the gallery.

WHAT: Opening Reception: “OUT & BAD”

WHO: LEASHO JOHNSON

WHEN: Saturday, April 3, 2021, 5:30-8 pm

DURATION: April 3 – May 23, 2021

GALLERY HOURS: Tues & Thurs: 2pm-5pm; Wed: 9 am – 12 pm; Fri & Sun: 2-5 pm. And by appointment (see schedule on Tock)

WHERE: FLXST Contemporary, 2251 S. Michigan Ave. Suite 220, Chicago, IL 60616

Image credit: Buck break (Anansi #9) (detail), charcoal, distemper, watercolor, ink, acrylic, oil, oil stick, and gesso on paper mounted on canvas, 51 x 52 inches, 2021. Courtesy of the artist and FLXST Contemporary.

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