Crossroads

Crossroads

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Description

Until 2005, Carl Beam worked on a new collection, which remained unfinished at the time of his death. Crossroads was inspired by a popular song titled “Cross Road Blues” by the American blues musician Robert Johnson. According to his wife, Ann Beam, he used the artwork in this collection to consider his own hybrid identity. In Crossroads, Beam used printing techniques to depict musicians, historical figures, scientists, and celebrities such as Albert Einstein and Cher. The figures are juxtaposed with images of animals, insects, and birds, incorporating hand-drawn elements and text. Like in The Whale of Our Being, the use of very bright, highly-saturated colours suggests a reflection on humanity’s departure from nature, a theme seen throughout Carl Beam’s earlier artwork.

Publication Date

8-3-2020

Keywords

Carl Beam, art, Contemporary, Indigenous, Seriograph, Screenprint, Creative Campus Galleries Collection

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities

Crossroads

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