In Startup High, Serge Gay Jr. finds San Francisco as a spirit in transition. The heady acid-drenched psychedelia of 1960s Haight-Ashbury a cloud of colourful decadence, the smartphone-transfixed Millennials treading a grey path devoid of tangible meaning. One of 15 new paintings that comprise his latest solo show, Different Rules, it sets the tone for a body of work uncomfortable with society today.
Serge Gay Jr., Golden Ages
A homosexual black man living in America today, Gay Jr. has a right to be wary of the current sociopolitical climate; chased by a haunting pack of zombie police, bullets and dogs, the black child in Less Than Human cuts a tormented figure — it’s a startling indictment of where the civilised world is in 2017. ‘We still have a long way to go when dealing with racism,’ Serge begins, ‘and we, the black community, are still second-class citizens to the far right wing in this country.’
Police brutality and Silicon Valley’s increasing hold on we as a people are just two areas touched on throughout this frenetic series of paintings; women’s rights, climate change, gentrification, and queer identity all evident in the Haiti -born artist’s unrestrained scenarios. Often confounding, always expertly-executed, Gay Jr.’s emotive approach to his craft presents its viewers with a deep, complex narrative of which to take apart; new layers unfolding with each glance you take into his chaotic, immersive works.
Serge Gay Jr., Different Rules, continues at Spoke San Francisco until 28 January.
Serge Gay Jr., Less Than Human
Serge Gay Jr., Home Lands
Serge Gay Jr., I Am Invincible
Serge Gay Jr., Safe Space
Serge Gay Jr., Don’t Shoot
Serge Gay Jr., Less is More
