Khalif Tahir Thompson and YoYo Lander reflect on identity, family, race and vulnerability of the human experience in new exhibitions at the Gantt Center.
by Michael J. Solender
American visual artists Khalif Tahir Thompson and YoYo Lander delve into themes of identity, family, race and the vulnerability of the human experience in new solo exhibitions at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture.
Lander’s Between the Quiet, Selected Works from 2019 to 2024 and Thompson’s Cherry are the latest high-profile exhibits featured at the Gantt. They follow the strong programming of the Gantt’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration in 2024.
Anita Bateman, the institution’s new vice president of creative direction, curated the shows. Bateman joined the Gantt in October from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Textured mosaics
In Between the Quiet, Lander presents more than two dozen figurative and abstract collages selected from collections nationwide. The works are primarily “bodyscape” portraits of women from the African diaspora, where stained, handcut watercolor paper is layered to create nuanced, textured mosaics.
There’s a haunting solitude, poignancy and intimacy conveyed in Lander’s portraiture. Her subjects are not unaware of being captured and invite viewers into their own private moments — not as voyeurs, but to bear witness to the moment.
YoYo Lander, Nothing to Hide, 2020. Courtesy of the artist.
“No Place to Make Love” is a sharply contrasted three-quarter profile of a woman wrapped in a cloud-gray sheet, and a loosely knotted headscarf against her deeply golden-brown skin. She glances downward, lost in a sense of place and anticipation.
“I have this obsession with body language,” Lander told SouthPark Magazine at the exhibition opening in late January. “I want people to just see themselves in a moment of reflection. I want them to feel a sense of rest and ease (from my work).”
Born in nearby Sumter, South Carolina, and now based in Los Angeles, Lander earned a Bachelor of Arts from Howard University and an MFA from UCLA. Her art is featured in major collections, including The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the International African American Museum.
Between the Quiet, Selected Works from 2019 to 2024 runs through May 11 at the Gantt Center.
Riotous color
Thompson celebrates his first institutional solo exhibition in the U.S. with Cherry, featuring eight large-scale works exploring identity, memory, and emotion. His vibrant pieces depict intergenerational family scenes. Thompson gained inspiration from family photos and writings from his grandmother.
“I titled it Cherry to do something short and sweet and have a sense of nostalgia,” Thomson says. “There’s something very liberating to be able to take such a small piece of memorabilia and imagery and something sentimental and blow it up on a large canvas.”
Khalif Tahir Thompson, Lenox Avenue, 2024, Courtesy of the artist and Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery
Bold, riotous primary colors illustrating intimate scenes of family life evoke a sense of childhood. Thompson created “Ballad of Blue and Brown” to honor his grandfather who grew up in Charlotte. His grandfather, Glenn is portrayed as a “looming yet protective figure” attending to a small child at play in an orbital stroller. The multimedia work is primarily done in oil but also incorporates pleather and handmade papyrus, adding texture.
Based in New York, Thompson earned an MFA from Yale and a BFA from Purchase College. His work is on view at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, among others.
Cherry runs through Aug. 17 at the Gantt Center.
Featured image: Detail of Khalif Tahir Thompson, Ballad of Blue and Brown, 2025, Courtesy of the artist and Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery.
