GIMME SOME SUGAR book talk with artist Genesis Tramaine & David Alan Grier

Join Monacelli, Phaidon, and Almine Rech for a book talk with artist Genesis Tramaine, moderated by actor and collector David Alan Grier
About this Event

Join Monacelli, Phaidon, and Almine Rech for a book talk with contemporary abstract expressionist painter Genesis Tramaine, moderated by actor David Alan Grier at the iconic WSA building. The conversation, in celebration of Tramaine's much-anticipated monograph will unpack the artist's dynamic and enthralling paintings, which are an inextricable homage to her deep faith, sense of self, and Sunday mornings at church.

Rooted in her 1980s New York City upbringing and strong spirituality, Tramaine imbues her abstract portraits of men and women with a transcendent emotion, devotion, and soundless musicality, borne from rhythmic brushstrokes and a visceral use of chromatic color. In her gestural style, she seeks, at once, to represent and universalize the humanness of the American Black face by obscuring the specificity of individual features, choosing instead to portray the inner turmoil and inner joy of one’s mind and being.

EVENT DETAILS: The talk will take place on the 17th floor in the WSA screening room. Doors will open at 6:00pm and the conversation will begin at 6:15pm. Gimme Some Sugar will be available for sale and Tramaine will be signing and personalizing copies of the book directly after the discussion.

PLEASE NOTE: Registration is required, but space is limited and your registration does not guarantee a seat. Please arrive on time to secure a spot.

ABOUT GENESIS TRAMAINE

Genesis Tramaine (b. 1983) is an expressionist devotional painter who creates abstract portraits of men and women who transcend gender, race, and social structures. She digests the everyday and regurgitates it as work that evokes déjà vu, beckoning memories of past lives and glimpses of undiscovered futures. The blueprint of Genesis’ style is rooted in strong mix of 1980’s urban New York graffiti, and imagined images of gospel hymns sung on Sunday morning during church.

Tramaine paints with a confrontational and provocative use of color and through an urban-inspired, mixed-media approach. The artist describes her practice as focused on the shape and definition of the American Black Face, explaining that her subject’s exaggerated features capture the spirited emotions of the untapped, underrepresented soul of Black people through a mixture of acrylic and oil-based paintings.

Tramaine’s work is also powerfully influenced by Bible verses and other readings she studied in church. Her spiritual influences have a strong impact on the composition and depth of her paintings, which explore deeply human themes including ethics and insanity, the mundane and the inhumane, spirituality, sexuality, and sentimentality.

Born in Brooklyn, Tramaine earned her M.S from Pace University and B.S from Utica College of Syracuse University. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, and is represented by Almine Rech Gallery.