Five Contemporary African American Artists You Should Know!

Our mission here at Yellow Hibiscus Gallery is to help you discover up and coming artists, and to help you be the first in line to collect their works before the rest of the world catches on.  (Before we begin, we'd like to extend a special thank you to Dyanna Green, for her work on this piece).   

Last year, we shared with you five Contemporary African Artists that we thought you should know about.  This year, we want to highlight five African American Artists.

We were inspired to celebrate African American Artists because African American creatives have been the heartbeat and lifeblood of American popular culture for centuries, and although their innovations underpin the entertainment industrial complex, the creatives themselves are rarely acknowledged.

In some respects, we are lucky to be living an era where we can witness history being made.   From the rise of the far right, heightened racial tension, increased visibility of police brutality, and a rising global consciousness of black identity; there is a gold mine of weighted subjects for artists to explore; and African American artists are in a unique position to do just that and to shape the narrative for future generations.

With that in mind, here are some of our favorites who are contributing their voices to the ongoing story. Be sure keep an eye out for them in the coming years. 

KENYATTA A. C. HINKLE (@ACHINKLE05)

Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle was born in Louisville, Kentucky. She received her BFA in painting from the Maryland College Institute of Art and her MFA in writing from the California Institute of Arts. She derives inspiration from both historical and contemporary templates focusing on topics relating to race and sexuality. She now lives and continues to work in Los Angeles, California.

CAITLIN CHERRY (@CAITLINCCHERRY)

Caitlin Cherry is a Brooklyn based artist who received her MFA in 2012 from Columbia University in NY. She loves both painting and sculptures and finds a way to fuse them together. She was also a student to another amazing African American artist, Kara Walker.

JENNIFER PACKER (JENNIFERPACKER.TUMBLR.COM)

Jennifer Packer is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania born artist. She received her BFA from the Tyler University School of Art at Temple University .Her work is known for having an intimate feel and emerges from her interactions with those close to her.  She now lives and works in New York.

NINA CHANEL ABNEY (@NINACHANEL)

Nina Chanel Abney is a Chi Town (Chicago, Illinois) born and raised artist. She received her MFA from Parsons the New School of Design in 2007. Her work is structured as a narrative , telling the tales of race, gender ,sexuality and all the in betweens.She now lives and works in New York.

HANK WILLIS THOMAS  (@HANKWILLISTHOMAS)

Hank Willis Thomas is a New Jersey born artist. His visual art combines the conversation of race, pop culture, advertisment and photography into one.He has his MFA in Photography and a MA  in Visual Criticism from California College of the Arts and also received a BFA in Photography and Africana Studies from New York University. He now lives and continues to work in NYC.

Hope you enjoyed this and developed some new favorite artists!

*our featured image is Kerry James Marshall's "De Style" (1993).