HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) -- Can art change the world?
There is one art gallery in Harlem that is hoping the answer is yes. The name of this exhibit at Heath Gallery is called "More Love Now" by abstract figurative painter Debbie Taylor-Kerman.
The artist, born in Scotland and now living in Harlem, has created 30 pieces of acrylic on wood depicting people of all races and religions, immigrants and transgendered people.
The titles are often whimsical, like "Sweet or Savory," but the messages are deep.
“It’s basically about three different transgendered people from different ethnicities,” Debbie Taylor-Kerman, the artist, told PIX11 News.
“In India, they are called the Hijra, and they accepted and celebrated.
Most Native American tribes also celebrate their transgendered,” she added.
According to gallery director Saundra Heath, this exhibition creates a space for dialogue about inclusion and acceptance and compassionate community-building.
“When you look at what’s happening in the world, when you look at the fear and the divisiveness, her message of unity and acceptance, her celebration of many cultures and people, and that we can really coexist,” Saundra Heath, the director of Heath Gallery, told PIX11 News.
By naming her paintings with titles like “What’s your favorite flavor of Ice Cream?” Or “I miss my dad’s corny jokes”, featuring a Muslim woman, a Christian man, and a Jewish man, Taylor-Kerman is hoping to start people talking to one another.
“Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that connect us,” Taylor-Kerman told PIX11 News. “I wanted to make that connection,” she added.
This weekend, there’ll be a talk with artist Debbie Taylor-Kerman at 2 pm Saturday.
This exhibit will be here at Heath Gallery until May 3rd.
English (US) ·