Artist Eesha Suntai's exhibition will be on display at Augusta Savage Gallery until December 10th

Author: Elizabeth Beanland, University Correspondent November 2, 2021

Last Wednesday, Augusta Savage Gallery in New Africa House exhibited the artist Eesha Suntai's exhibition "Dear Black Children" for the first time. This is a series of paintings that explored her views on black American identity. The exhibition includes 14 paintings, among which the outstanding works are thematic portraits with penetrating gaze. The entrance of the gallery is "Sacrifice", a small still life painting of Shang Tai holding juicy nectarines in his hands.

For Suntai, a New York painter who studied studio art at Adelphi University, bold colors are at the core of her storytelling. Influenced by the colors of Fauvism and hyperrealism in the early 20th century, she mainly used oil and acrylic paints, and occasionally added golden spray paint as a basis to create luminous effects.

"'Dear Black Child' is like a visual diary of my growing up experience as an African-American child," Suntai said. "Through each painting, the theme is telling a story about who they are and how to recognize them."

The works on display range from film stills to portraits of friends, family and herself. Suntai hopes that her portrait theme can play an active role.

"Even if I use a lot of bright colors, there is a kind of glare that creates tension," Suntai said. "I want the subject to have control, and the observer is just the observer."

Shangtai hopes to capture a series of emotional experiences.

"The Dilemma of the Negro", Sangtai won the award-winning work in the 2020 digital exhibition "The Breath of the Negro" in response to the murder of George Freud, depicting a black man surrounded by clasped hands.

"The strangulation of George Floyd is actually a strangulation of what is happening in the community of color," Suntai said. "We are being stifled as a culture."

Interim gallery director Alexia Cota knew when she reviewed Suntai's submissions that she wanted to invite Suntai to exhibit at the University of Massachusetts. "It immediately stood out and became a very powerful piece," she said.

Cota invited Central to speak at the virtual opening reception of the exhibition. "The way she captures people," Kota said. "This is what moves me the most."

"Black Boy Joy" is a portrait of two young boys, capturing a snapshot of childhood whimsy. "With kids, you would say,'Take a picture!' They put up two fingers, turned around, and danced, they are so free," Sangtai said.

The collection includes three movie stills of Sang Tai's graduation thesis. "Insert Identity Here" portrays the protagonist played by Halle Berry in the 2010 film "Frankie and Alice" as a stripper with multiple personality disorders.

Suntai's childhood was watching her mother working in a beauty salon. She is fascinated by changes and the art works of salon magazines.

"It's not just pictures of beautiful women-it's real art," she said. "It's a woman in the 1980s. It looks like a graphite pencil on paper. When I saw these, I said,'I want to do that.'"

Zach Boisvert, a senior marketing and journalism professional, attended the opening reception of the show. He liked the vibrant color palette of the six women in "Highly Darkened (Squad)" the most. "The interpretation of color is poetic," he said.

"Dear Black Child", launched in cooperation with the UMass Women of Color Leadership Network, will be open to the public for free at the Augusta Savage Gallery in New Africa House from 5 to 7 pm until December 10. Please visit the Fine Arts Center website for more information.

Elizabeth Beanland can be reached at [email protected]. 

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