Conceptualizing Black Joy with Kahlil Robert Irving

Kahlil Robert Irving discusses his artistic practice, including the pieces that were included in the recent exhibition, "In Common: New Approaches with Romare Bearden," held at The New School in New York City. The show featured the work of six contemporary artists alongside that of Bearden.
Kahlil Robert Irving’s sculptures, paintings, and collages subtly describe how to navigate being Black in the United States. His collages, influenced by modern digital culture, show how materials can be interpolated and pieced together to highlight Black joy while shedding light on the violence of racist ideologies. Irving received his BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute and MFA at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art at Washington University. His work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the New Museum, the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and Archeology of the Present at the Kemper Art Museum.