Alumni Spotlight: TYLONN SAWYER

ericpriceny
3 days ago
3 min read

How does your cultural background or personal experiences influence your art?

Being Black, male, queer, and from Detroit, a major city with a rich history and culture, creates a unique lens through which I view the world. My work is informed by history, race, politics, and pop culture. So highlighting the histories, contributions, and challenges of Black people within the context of this country is the foundation on which my is built.

Tell us about a tough moment in your creative journey—how did you push through it?

When I graduated from the Academy in 2003, I moved back to Detroit, where I taught part-time until I eventually took a job in corporate America and essentially gave up making art for about eight years.In early 2011, I was laid off from my corporate position. At that point, I said to myself, “No matter what I do next, it will be art-related.” As I searched for a new job, I started painting again. Within a few months, I had completed about fourteen paintings and secured a position working in arts education.Later that year, during a studio visit with a curator, I was included in a two-person exhibition with the major artist Saffell Gardner at a popular gallery in Detroit. At the opening, Saffell introduced me to everyone he knew, and another curator booked me for a show. I have been exhibiting my work consistently ever since.I try not to dwell on setbacks for very long. I believe every day is another opportunity to get it right. I say this to myself when things get especially challenging.

How does experimentation shake up your creative process?

For me, it really allows me to expand the aesthetic vocabulary of my work. Learning new techniques,discovering unconventional materials to add to my oil paintings and drawings, really contributes to the technical narrative of my work.

What's a painting that people would be surprised to learn you absolutely love?

Mark Bradoford’s “Deep Blue” 2018

I saw this work at the Broad in Los Angeles a few years ago, and it left me speechless. Although it’s a large, unconventional abstract work. It’s referred to as a painting despite containing no paint; It has all the vocabulary of a brilliant painting: color, impasto, scale, and content. The expansive surface and variety of texture and color recall a large Monet Water Lilies painting. Yet, through the use of manipulated colored paper in place of paint, it makes me feel as though I am looking at actual nature rather than a representation of it.

Mark Bradford, Deep Blue, 2018. Photo: Ben Gibbs., Courtesy ARTFORUM https://www.artforum.com/news/the-broad-acquires-major-works-by-mark-bradford-and-david-hammons-243745/ — **Mark Bradford,** ***Deep Blue*, 2018.** Photo: Ben Gibbs., Courtesy ARTFORUM https://www.artforum.com/news/the-broad-acquires-major-works-by-mark-bradford-and-david-hammons-243745/

You’re organizing a dinner party. Which three artists, dead or alive, do you invite?

Keith Haring: I think we would party hard together
Hemiunu: Google translate would be running overtime as I talk to this ancient Egyptian prince who presumably built the great pyramid at Giza.
Vincent Desiderio: I’ve met him on multiple occasions and even had the opportunity to visit his studio when I was a student. He would still get an invite. One of the smartest artists/people I have ever met.

What’s going on in your studio right now? Any exciting projects in the works?

I’m working on large scale drawings that combine classic works of art with seemingly unrelated historical events, people, places etc. Solo show before the end of year.