Lavar Munroe

SEPTEMBER 13 - DECEMEBER 3, 2018
This series of 12 paintings function as a reflection on the environment of my upbringing. It recalls crude and violently made wall markings on architectural structures within my immediate surroundings. Specifically, they reference visual signs of evil and mayhem which took the form of gang symbols, wall messages to rivals, street codes and gang logos. I map a personal journey of survival and trauma in a world of gang violence, drugs, murder, self-discovery, development and overcoming obstacles through self-determination. Though inspired by the past, my loud, energetic and unapologetic visual language confronts contemporary society's politics of fear and anger, which oftentimes result in strained and difficult relationships between authority and civilians. 

Much of my practice comprises research that is informed by critical investigation and theories surrounding art history, mythology and literature. I explore and dissect art historical representations of the devil, evil and divine. Art historical examination is coupled with references to the divine number, twelve (12). I acknowledge methodical and religious histories in relation to the number of paintings in this series. Twelve deities, twelve disciples, twelve tribes of Israel among many other instances of the use of this number come to mind. 

Simultaneously functioning as both portraits and disguises, each of the subjects have very distinct and different characteristics. Though the term “Devil” is affiliated with evil, I present my subjects as mere representations of those deemed to be devils in current world affairs as opposed to actual perpetrators of evil. Today, subjects of evil point to many authority figures such as police, politicians, clergymen, and terrorists, as some of the major culprits of much malevolent activity. The over-arching narrative is the destruction and mayhem in the world today, a world cloaked and tarnished by evil and deceit. 

Throughout history, mythology has emerged from humankind’s desire to understand our surroundings and our anthropologic makeup. My research in anthropology and mythology draws from historic models of mythos. This investigation takes as its center the task of understanding the lives, existence, and survival of humankind with a particular interest in lower-class Blacks in the “ghetto.” Inspired by ideas surrounding stages of Joseph Cambell’s Monomyth also known as The Heroes Journey, my work comprises installation of paintings, sculpture and sound that explore the relationship between transformation and myth. 

In investigating various stages of Monomyth, I am interested in telling a story of success whereby I trace a journey that begins in an impoverished state, both mentally and physically, which ends in a place of enrichment. Both autobiographic and universal in nature, my intentions are to work through behaviors of the trickster as an embodiment of self and hero. Literature, documentaries, and real-world occurrences fuel my work. Though framed in fictional narratives, my work explores and in many ways critiques real life situations. Oftentimes I am reminded of the underlying darkness that occurs in childhood fables – in a sense, drawing a parallel to its menacing motifs. 

Intriguing and unique to my work is the play on opposites. The balance between real-life motifs placed within a fictional mode of presentation fuels the visual explosiveness of the work. I am also interested in the idea of contradicting understanding and skewing meaning within the work. In this regard, I borrow from behavioral traits of the trickster. I am fascinated in crossing boundaries that are governed by hierarchical structures within society. Through the manipulation of meaning as dictated by such structures, I rearticulate and challenge notions such as wealth and deprivation, honorable and shameful, man and animal. 

The impact of my work is both intellectual and artistic. Intellectually, my work is dialog with mythological histories, anthropologic scholarship, and art history. First, I use myth as a tool to further understand and evaluate societal disparities and my present existence. Borrowing from specifically Greek and Egyptian mythologies, I use personification and allegory to narrate and elaborate on real life events. Second, I examine anthropologic and academic scholarship, sourcing from thinkers such as Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung and Lewis Hyde among others. Lastly, I am in conversation with art history, as I both borrow from and challenge various modes of thinking and making.