Wilds of the Interior by phlegm | Artist Gallery Opening Reception

New Orleans born and based visual artists Ryan “phlegm” Gilbert works in face painting and self portraiture. He is inspired by Black cultural tone from across the diaspora; pulling inspiration from the Black Masking Indians of New Orleans, the Dogon of Mali, the Fulani of Nigeria, and the Zouli dance of Ivory Coast.

wilds of the interior is a collection of work that aims to answer the question, “what parts of myself are hidden to me?”. Operating within the Black spiritual concept of time – where the past, present, and future all exist at once, together – this exhibition uses what I now describe as “ritual dramas,” – self portraiture, a contemporary iteration of African masking, and nostalgic ephemera – to reveal the unearthed parts of myself. Inspired by the words of Black queer writer Reginal Shepherd and the visual works of Solange Knowles and Kelela, wilds of the interior also asks the viewer to discover the mechanisms of their own universes.

Phlegm’s exhibition at Ace Hotel New Orleans Gallery is on view from January 7, 2023 – April 11, 2023.

About phlegm

Ryan “phlegm” Gilbert  is a self-taught artist that has had a residency at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans and is a 2022 ArtMatters Foundation Artist2Artist Fellow. His work has been shown at Antenna Gallery in New Orleans, Welcome to Afrofuture in Miami for Art Basel, and featured in Interview, Out, and Tenth Magazines.