BRael Ali Thunder
https://www.facebook.com/brael.ali
BReal Ali
http://www.braelali.com/
B'RAEL ALI THE ARTISAN
BRAEL.ALI13@GMAIL.COM
773-494-2391
IG: BRAELALITHUNDER
FB: BRAELALITHUNDER
TWR:BRAELALITHUNDER
SOUNDCLOUD: BRAEL THUNDER
https://phantomgallery.blogspot.com/2016/07/black-experimentalism-let-us-examine.html
My title B’Rael Ali is an affirmation that I use so that I always remain conscious of my spiritual identity and purpose. My purpose being a creative force sent from the cosmos, a bringer of truth. I was born on the south side of Chicago and I have lived much of my life in the urban City. I am a graduate of the Southern Illinois University of Carbondale achieving a BFA in Painting and Drawing. I am also a spoken word artist. My artwork and poetry are infusions of urban life, history, and social commentary. I believe that knowledge of self is the true answer to anyone’s individual struggles because gaining it has improved my life tremendously. My artwork and poetry serve as a form of education, displaying the lessons and philosophies that help me during my struggles in order to help others through their struggles as well. Art is my language, Art is my way of solving the problems of today in order to create a better future.
Much of my artwork features dancing figures. Dance is the physical cultivation of the Spirit through mental release and rhythmic processes. Dance historically, and contemporary is a large part of African and African American culture being used for ritual purposes, ceremonial, as well as social. My artwork depicts those traditional uses of dance through 2D drawings on paper that are enhanced with acrylic paint and pastels. I use the dancing figure as a creative vessel to express African American culture and issues. Through compositions designed from the figurative image of the dancer, I compose narratives that describe the African American experience, largely addressing identity, reconnecting African Americans to their African ancestry. The collaboration of symbols new and old creates the persona of "Afrofuturism" in my work, allowing my art to become ritual.
The Phantom Gallery will look at how the city influences art, and artists transform the city by contributing to civic dialogue and quality of life. These installations will produce "Creative Conversations" presenting artists speaking about their art.
2020 Program virtual gallery openings will focus on Examining the State of Our Environment- and having conversations with artists in their studios.
The aim of the Phantom is to examine changes in current curatorial production and to develop innovative displays in relation to virtual spaces. "Curatorial Practice" explores the impact of the urban environment on the artist and their work, and the contributions that artists make to the vitality of a city. The place where art is imagined and made, whether in a physical or virtual space, affects the idea, the process, and the final product.
Join us on December 18th, 2020 for our final installment of Virtual Open Studio featuring:
Renee Baker- Experimental Film
Post Modernism:
Lois Stone
Phillip Cotton
