Biography
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DeCarlo Logan creates work which uses an interdisciplinary approach combing and moving between painting, video, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and installation art. He dissects social constructions as a means to engage in a conversation deeply rooted in complex internal and external perceptions of race and ethnicity in America. His work captures moments which would otherwise be overlooked or forgotten; providing a space to discover community through shared experience. He investigates the factors which dominate bodies of color by confronting the established perception of Black and Brown communities; creating a dialog to examining dangerous social customs which perpetuate prejudice. Logan earned his MFA in Studio Art from Purdue University and a BA from Illinois College. He most recently served as a Windgate Artist-in-Residence at SUNY Purchase College.
Artist Statement
Social Construction : accepted concepts which define meanings, notions, or connotations, believed to be fundamental, assigned to objects, groups, and/or events within an institution or culture which deeply influence one's notions, relationships to, and interactions with said objects, groups and/or events.
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Considering the duality of internal and external perception, I’ve become acutely aware of the ways in which I am viewed. This hyper-awareness of self has sparked an interest in the perceptions and assumptions which frame existence. The dichotomy between the way in which the world sees me and the way I see myself is key to understanding my place in the world. Only through analyzing the intangible aspects of identity, can a clear dialog begin.
As a Black male, there is a mode in which I view the world and how the world views me; thereby affecting the connections needed to cultivate a rich inner life. Considering the idea of social construction, this current body of work builds on the concept that our complete identity is a construction of smaller elements. Approaching identity through objecthood tangible representations of my identity are created through the lens of the larger society and interpersonal relationships. Equating material connection with personal experience, constructed artifacts possess both ethereal memory and the physical residue used to examine experience as object.
During my formative years, I was given a set of tools. Not a gift from my grandfather but, my mother. This set of tools was a set of rules and procedures to follow means to protect my body from the world. She taught me how to perform in a way which is socially acceptable in order to survive the prejudices of the world but that the way I am viewed by society at large is not who I am. These rules included “don’t be good, be excellent”,” if you’re angry, never let it show”, and “show respect even if you don’t receive it.” These rules are second nature to me now but speak to a larger social context. Navigating a world which was not designed for someone that looks like me, is filled with filled with a complete set of unspoken rules which dominate the way I am ultimately perceived.
This process is an exploration of internal and external perspectives. Internally, a rich inner life is explored via the networks of relationships constructed throughout a lifetime as a result of relationships with individuals. Dissecting these interactions, the nuances of each relationship begins to emerge. Externally, one’s experience is not only their own. This is something shared intrinsically. ​
