PhxArt talks with Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe in conversation with Larry Ossei-Mensah

PhxArt talks with Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe in conversation with Larry Ossei-Mensah, featured artist and curator for 2023 Spring Lenhardt Lecture Series.

Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) presents renowned artist OTIS KWAME KYE QUAICOE IN CONVERSATION WITH CURATOR AND CULTURAL CRITIC LARRY OSSEI-MENSAH during the Museum’s spring Lenhardt Lecture, a key component of the Dawn and David Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative. Quaicoe is known for his lush portraits of friends and family members that utilize bold colors to communicate personal narratives and distinct identities. His figurative forms, including a recent series of Black American cowboys, exude empowerment, redemption, sophistication, humility, curiosity, and quietude and often reflect U.S. gender and race dynamics. Coinciding with the program at PhxArt, the Museum has acquired Quaicoe’s portrait Profile of Larry Ossei (2022), which will be on view this spring in the Museum’s Katz Wing for Modern Art and is the fifth work acquired by the Museum through the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative. This spring’s Lenhardt Lecture will place Quaicoe in dialogue with the subject of this recent acquisition—Larry Ossei-Mensah—representing an exciting opportunity to learn about the process of portraiture and the give and take between artist and subject.

The event was presented on March 22, 2023 in the Museum’s Whiteman Hall.

Watch the video here.