Look Who it Was Random video

MIXED GREENS - Rudy Shepherd

264 views · Published 14 September 2014 · 4:52 · Indexed 23 October 2026

Channel: NYC GALLERY OPENINGS · 2014 · Entertainment

Watch on YouTube

Rudy Shepherd
Disaster Fatigue

Mixed Greens Gallery
531 W.26th St.
New York, NY 

September 11th - October 11th, 2014
Opening:  September 11th 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM


Mixed Greens is pleased to present Rudy Shepherd’s sixth solo exhibition 
with the gallery. Disaster Fatigue consists of a barrage of new paintings, 
drawings, video, and ceramics that address media saturation and the politics 
of representation. 

For over a decade, Shepherd focused on how people are represented 
visually. Early on, he studied the conscious framing and manipulation of his 
own image through several series of self-portraits and videos. This 
exploration led to over one hundred ink portraits representing public 
figures—from Thelonius Monk to OJ Simpson—who not only influenced 
Shepherd’s own life and aspirations, but also changed public perception of 
what it means to be black in America. 

Since 2007, Shepherd’s focus on representation expanded to address the 
often problematic way mass media illustrates its stories through 
sensationalized, but seemingly definitive, visual depictions of criminals and 
victims. A slow accumulation of drawn and painted portraits quickly 
escalated into a practice including near-daily drawings of the people 
Shepherd sees in the news. Through his lens, the news is filtered, sorted, and 
complicated. Heroes, villains, tragedies, and triumphs hang together in an 
arresting array. By rendering portraits of individuals who are sensationalized 
or even demonized by the media, Shepherd invites us to contemplate and 
pay homage to their complexity as human beings as well as the multifaceted 
nature of the stories and issues they represent. 

In an attempt to counter the tragedy, conflict, and misunderstanding that 
pervade the work’s source material, Shepherd also imagines characters and 
produces objects with the power to heal personal and social ills. Although he 
proposes no solution, his “Healer” character (embodied by Shepherd 
himself) creates moments of collective reflection through videos and live 
performances that inspire viewers to consider the problems symbolized by 
Shepherd’s drawings and paintings. His sculptures, including ceramic healing 
devices and shaman-like idols, feel ceremonial and key to the eradication 
the world’s negative energy. 

Disaster Fatigue presents the viewer with a journal-like recording of 
Shepherd’s focus for the last several years with glimmers of optimism. A 
small series of cult leaders hangs quietly in the installation, reminding the 
viewer of other people who’ve searched for change, with often tragic results. 
Shepherd, hyper-aware of the news and misguided attempts for a solution, 
presents an emotional response to current events and the opportunity for 
creative dialogue between himself and his viewers.

Shepherd’s large-scale public sculpture, Black Rock Negative Energy 
Absorber, is currently on view at the First Street Green Park (33 East 1st 
Street, at the corner of Houston Street and 2nd Avenue) in NYC.

Music by:
Chill Carrier - A New Day

More from this channel