ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is proud to announce the first solo museum exhibition of work by Demond Melancon. The exhibition, As Any Means Are Necessary, will be on view January 10- February 15. As Any Means Are Necessary made it’s debut of new and recent work that highlights Melancon’s fine art practice, bridging the extraordinary beading that has elevated Melancon as an iconic Culture Bearer of the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans with wall-based work in Charleston, South Carolina at The Halsey Institute.
The exhibition features 22 works and a scaleable installation recreating Melancon’s studio. Among the 20 works are framed portraits, framed African masks from a new series, and a new type of work in Demond’s practice: a Spirit Suit. The Spirit Suit is a sculptural companion piece to the suit Melancon will mask in in 2025. Accompanying the exhibition are a tri-fold brochure featuring a commissioned essay by Dr. Imani Perry and a 3-minute artistic video profile filmed in New Orleans by Locate Productions.
MEET BIG CHIEF
MEET BIG CHIEF
Melancon’s work expresses his deep interest in exploring the possibilities of visual storytelling and redefining the traditions of portraiture. Demond Melancon is one of the few artists to pioneer the use of glass beads as an accepted contemporary art medium in the larger arts sector. Through the potency of his art and by reconsidering predominant narratives, Melancon deliberately repositions historically overlooked subjects and reimagines institutional portrayal of the Black subject.
INTRODUCING DEMOND “BIG CHIEF” MELONCON
Demond Melancon (b. 1978) works solely with a needle and thread to sew glass beads onto canvas. He began this practice in 1992 when he first became part of a more than 200-year-old culture known as the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans.
Big Chief Demond Melancon is well known for creating massive Suits as a Black Masker. His Suits are sculptural forms based on the size of his body which are composed of intricate, hand- sewn beadwork revealing a collective visual narrative. In 2017, Melancon pioneered an emerging contemporary art practice using the same beading techniques he’s been refining over the past 30 years in the Black Masking Culture.
Melancon’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art, Brooklyn, NY; Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI; Haus der Welt der Kulturen, Berlin; and the Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans, LA. His work is included in the collections of the International African American Museum, Toledo Museum of Art, Birmingham Museum of Art, LSU Museum of Art, and the Boston Art Club. Demond Melancon was selected as a 2023 Joan Mitchell Fellow by the Joan Mitchell Foundation.
As a self-taught artist, Melancon has been heavily influenced by the teachings of Kerry James Marshall. Often reflecting untold stories from bygone pasts, many of his works honor Black subjects historically excluded from the artistic canon while confronting stereotypical representations of Black identity.
Exhibit Programming
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Opening Reception
Join us for the exhibit opening Jan 10 from 7- 9pm
Demond Melancon: As Any Means Are Necessary was organized by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, College of Charleston School of the Arts.
OTHER SPONSORS
Gallery Hours
Visit us during gallery hours on Thursday- Saturday from 12pm- 5pm.
352 University Ave SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
Interested in a tour? Email terra@adamatl.org to schedule!