Repeat after me: I AM a Revolutionary Henry Taylor and Michele O’Marah

Javier Peres is pleased to present Michele O’Marah and Henry Taylor’s Repeat after me: I AM a Revolutionary. The exhibition is comprised of painting, sculpture, works on paper, and video, centering around the revolutionary figure and Black Panther leader Huey Newton.

Michele O’Marah approaches the subject through a video recreation of a 1973 interview between Newton and William F. Buckley, which took place at Trinity University as part of Buckley’s television program Firing Line. Interested in the drastically disparate backgrounds of Newton, a black, grass roots political icon, and Buckley, a wealthy, conservative blue blood, O’Marah dissects and pieces back together their substantive and unglamorous discussion about the broad topic of revolution. Using the original dialogue, O’Marah enlists non-actors, artists Henry Taylor, and Maynard Monrow to play the parts of Newton and Buckley. In addition to the video piece, O’Marah will display hand-made set pieces, works on paper, and photographic portraits of each character.

In addition to playing the role of Huey Newton, Henry Taylor will present several paintings inspired by the tumultuous life of the former Black Panther leader. Growing up in California at the height of the Black Panther movement, Taylor has had an ongoing interest in and connection to black political movements. Taylor’s paintings frequently address class struggle and racism often incorporating found objects and scraps into his frenetic and often biting painting. Taylor’s work will focus on the mythic political figure of Newton, as well as the equally controversial aspects of his storied, sordid personal struggle with violence and substance abuse.