Earlier this week, a fine art exhibition featuring four contemporary painters, titled Round Zero, debuted at the Art Director’s Club. Tim Okamura, Jerome Lagarrigue, Joseph Adolphe and Taha Clayton exhibited their latest work in a collection curated by Dexter Wimberly. The collection is comprised of work inspired by boxing. “Each of these four artists enter Round Zero with his own history and deeply personal relationship to the exhibition’s primary theme of boxing,” said Dexter Wimberly, curator of Round Zero. “However, this is not a showcase of sports art, but rather a primal, atavistic presentation of figurative painting, steeped in pain and sacrifice, celebrating the durability and upper limits of the human body.”
It’s pretty clear that the paintings on display are masterpieces. Each artist brought something different to the table and it was so interesting to see each of their unique perspectives. In fact, the exhibit is not just about the paintings. The show was the culmination of HEAVYWEIGHTPAINT, a yearlong documentary film that follows the artists as they prepare for the exhibition. Filmmaker, composer and former boxer Jeff Martini followed around the four friends and painters and filmed their journey. Check out the trailer below.
On May 15th, the Art Director’s Club held an artists’ reception at the exhibit, showcasing the collection along with music by Questlove and DJ Tony Touch, as well as cocktails from Grolsch and Palm Breweries. Also on display were works of art created by the students of Brotherhood-Sister Sol, a Harlem-based youth organization that will receive the proceeds from the reception and artwork sales. Check out some of our favorite pieces below and make sure to follow the journey of these incredibly talented artists.
