CARVED IN COLOR BOUND BY LOVE

Love drapes itself in many forms, according to Greek philosophy. STORGE, strong familial ties; PHILIA, the form of love that bonds friends; EROS, the most known, romantic and intimate connection. Lastly AGAPE, the overarching form of love that is described as empathy in its deepest form, unconditional love.

Our exhibition explores these four forms of love through the lens of four talented male artists,

PHILIP A. ROBINSON JR,

EMMANUEL GILLESPIE,

MASHELL BLACK

JEFFREY MELO.

CARVED IN COLOR BOUND BY LOVE has an intentional curation that ranges from the masterfully carved wood pieces of PHILIP A. ROBINSON JR. that depict the form of love- STORGE, through carved depictions of maternal bonds and the beauty of maternal love. Followed by PHILIA which is the inspiration behind MASHELL BLACK artmaking process, referencing his wife and children as main factor and impetus for his artistic expression. Deep blue hues and intimate scenes of couples struck by EROS are derived from EMMANUEL GILLESPIE “Love” series. JEFFREY MELO amplifies the omnipresence that AGAPE embodies with his oil portraits that mirror the viewer’s reflection back to themselves provoking a spirit of empathy and resonance with the subject in the work, which extends into an introspective empathy for oneself. This activation is a celebration of artistry and emotion, bound together by the universal force of love.

📌OPENING RECEPTION

March 13th | 6PM

📌ACTIVATION DATES

March 13th - April 25th of 2025

🖼️Tanya Weddemire Gallery

📍INDUSTRY CITY | BLDG 2

254 36th Street | Suite C257 | Brooklyn NY 11232

GALLERY HOURS

WED - SAT : 11AM - 6PM

SUN : 12PM - 5PM

RSVP

MEET THE ARTISTS

PHILIP A. ROBINSON JR.

PHILIP A. ROBINSON JR. is an award-winning multi-media sculptor, conceptual artist and educator, who uses wood to symbolize temporality within natural cycles of time and geography to amplify the narrative of identity within popular and marginalized cultures. Through thoughtful selection of materials and the science of dendrochronology - as a protocol for historic markers for environmental changes through time - his work accentuates aesthetic and historic patterns between self and the world, with socio-political undertones. These undertones are shaped by influences from a Cherokee and African American mother and a Trinidadian and British father against the backdrop of the 1980s neo-conceptual art and installation practices and a climate of laissez-faire capitalism and technological advances.

EMMANUEL GILLESPIE

Emmanuel Gillespie, a visual artist with over two decades of experience spanning painting and sculpture was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, with a deep-seated commitment to scholarship, Gillespie possesses an educational background that underpins his creative career. Through a fusion of traditional and innovative techniques, his recent work highlights moments in time and their importance within the framework of humanity. Gillespie received his Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of North Texas and later earned his Master of Art degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Currently an arts educator with over 20 years of experience, Gillespie has completed several public art projects in Dallas. Some most notable works include site-specific sculptures for the Bexar Street Corridor, the design for the DART bus station for the DART Green Line project, a statue commission of Ernie Banks for the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and two 8ft. bronze statues for the Cedar Crest Golf course in Southern Dallas of Walter Hagen and Dr. Charles Sifford. Gillespie utilizes his artistic and educational practices as a conduit for community engagement. Emmanuel Gillespie’s work continues to inspire, enrich and challenge our cultural landscape, leaving a legacy that bridges generations and amplifies artistic voices.

JEFFREY MELO

Jeffrey Melo is an Afro Caribbean artist renowned for his evocative paintings, sculptures, and murals that interweave historical, musical, and cultural narratives. His work serves as a poignant celebration and illumination of the untold stories embedded in history, imbuing them with vibrancy and relevance. Central to Melo's artistic vision are his portraits, which masterfully render a profound emotional connection, allowing audiences to engage deeply with narrative landscapes otherwise unfamiliar. Melo's oil paintings offer a compelling glimpse into worlds that resonate with the viewer's own experiences, fostering empathy and introspection. His artistic endeavors challenge audiences to approach familiar tales presented through novel characters with curiosity, inquiry, and responsibility, urging a fresh perspective on well-tread path narratives. Born in the Bronx, New York, Jeffrey Melo currently resides in New York City. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. After completing his studies in 2012, Melo returned to New York and experienced a hiatus from art until 2020. As a first-generation American of Dominican descent, Melo's identity has been a guiding force in his life; however, it was during his college years that he discovered a divergence in how he was perceived by his peers. This period of introspection coincided with a renewed surge of passion amidst the shifting dynamics of race and equality in America. The confluence of personal experience and societal change rekindled Meloʼs artistic drive, instilling his work with renewed significance and purpose.

MASHELL BLACK

Born in a small rural community on the island of Jamaica in 1980, Mashell Black found a calling in expressing himself creatively when school supplies and local resources were not available to provide him with the foundation of a traditional education. After moving to the United States in 1994, Black’s family encouraged him to continue pursuing his art. With the watercolor lessons that his step-grandmother gave him, he also learned to read and write, improving on the limited education he received in his native country. Black went on to excel in a traditional school environment in Tenafly, NJ, while maintaining his love of drawing and painting. With a substantial scholarship in hand, he attended Syracuse University, graduating in 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Black continued his education and pursued a Master of Fine Arts at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, completing his degree in 2006.

From construction work to picture framing to substitute teaching, after graduation Black worked a number of jobs while building a space where he could concentrate on his art. Along the way, he also started his own house painting business. With the blessing of his wife, Rabiyah, Black returned to creating art, developing new techniques, and engaging the art world full-time in 2016. With the start of the new decade, Black is expanding his art practice even further, channeling his experience as an immigrant and an African American. With one foot firmly planted in the world of painting and the other in drawing, his technique reveals a common theme of isolation as he exists between a state of belonging and not belonging, exploring the place he occupies between them. Equally devoted to both disciplines, Black now uses his creative talent to recognize the spiritual connection that art manifests within an observer, within a community, and within our society.