CHARLOTTA JANSSEN
Stiff Arm
Jackie 'Stiff Arm' Robinson played 1939 and 1940 at UCLA. He was also a stand-out at the long jump, but left the university to play semi-pro before joining the US Army. Refusal to sit at the back of the bus in Fort Hood, Texas led to charges of which he was acquitted. The incident nor many others were not forgotten. "After two years at UCLA, I decided to leave. I was convinced that no amount of education would help a black man get a job."
ABOUT THE SHOW
"Smells Like Team Spirit" is about feeling as a collective. Teams, especially in sports, are islands of humanity on a backdrop of economic highs and lows, world wars, backward and forward thinking. The communal sentiment permeates in each. “The game”, be it baseball, football or basketball, is taking place over the run of a century no matter what. Strong sentiments (especially losing or winning) are felt together. Progress and regress are inevitable, and eventually all leagues’ scores count. While the creators of rules and boundaries may fade into obscurity, those who defy and redefine them remain unforgettable.
This series painted, oxidized and collaged is a reflection of that.
Until now, this has been a work in progress exhibit: the pieces first sketchily painted, fleshed out, then oxidized, are finally collaged. Each part adds a layer to the work & turns a monologue into a cacophony of dialogues. This exhibition will be on view until October.
ART SHOWCASE
Fritz Pollard: Player, Coach & So Much More 1916
1916 Brown University beat Harvard badly and Fritz Pollard was the champion quarterback responsible. He moved on to become the highest paid player at the founding of the NFL in 1920. He was a coach, a player and had a shirt pressing business on the side. By 1926 black men were silently kicked out of the NFL and Fritz started his own league. Sadly he could not sustain it and went into the music and film business. His old friend from college days Paul Robeson had his back. There is so much to write about this outstanding man. He later had an estate planning business. He was unstoppable.
ARTIST STATEMENT
When I paint, I use a narrow color spectrum. I strip an image down by three criteria: depth of field, shadow and light, and its fight with gravity. I believe it's these rules, by which an observer moves past staring at dried paint and accepts an image for its illusion. When it comes to athletes "the fight" with gravity is especially powerful as they seriously engage in working with it or defying it. Colors, to me, are a way to organize a piece. Painting humans in teal makes them the most noticeable part of the plot. Oxidizing is about letting go and collaging is about discreetly bringing in brash shapes and banal sound bites of the time.
Having been wall-eyed, near sighted and asthmatic growing up, I would be the last one picked for any team, but we all want to belong and live vicariously through our heroes and favorite clubs. The culture around sports in the States is something I felt was really powerful when I first encountered it. Having briefly been a seamstress, I also fell in love with the gear, especially how it wears and tears. For all its flaws and commerciality, sports are a perfect reflection of Americana and that's what compelled me.
In a time where everything else is there to propel us forward faster and faster, art is one thing that is meant to slow you down, even if it's just a little and reflect.
- Charlotta Janssen