When visiting the Valdosta National over at www.vsugallery.org, viewers are met with information regarding this show’s conception. The Valdosta National is an annual competition and it is hosted by Valdosta State’s Dedo-Maranville Fine Arts Gallery. The competition is open to all artists over eighteen living in the US and the goal is to present the best of the best entered in the competition. The work presented is all media contemporary art made in the last five years. Due to the global pandemic, this year’s show was held at the gallery’s online space instead of the physical space that students and staff are used to. This year the show was juried and judged by Claire Dempster, and she selected a total of 70 works by 60 artists out of the total of 875 works that were submitted.
Jasmine Allen lives a double life. By day she’s an art student. To class she sported a simple Black turtleneck and a pair of blue jeans- a look reminiscent of Steve Jobs. Except this Steve Jobs donned a pair of Nike Air Max 95s. It’s been a full week since the Seniors had their Opening Exhibition Convergence. Even though the seniors have had their show, the school work continues to flow for Allen. We talk about all the projects she still has due while she grabs a snack from the vending machine. Like all seniors, she’s so ready to be done with school, one facet of her double life. By night, Allen is the CEO and Creative Director for Ugly Urban, a Georgia-based street-wear brand. Ugly Urban or UURBN prides itself on transmitting a message of love, power, and overcoming barriers through different media such as printmaking, fashion, and even furniture. When you ask Allen why the brand is called that, she’d quickly respond, “It’s the ugly struggle to defy urban stereotypes.” Personally, I connect with that meaning. In a world where urban can be easily pinned as another word for black, there are plenty of stereotypes in need of defying. Urban culture is often alienated in higher-class circles, but Ugly Urban is meant to serve as the warm embrace for the alienated. Through street-wear silhouettes and witty Instagram captions, Allen has captured an audience of fellow culture enthusiasts, and outcasts.
“It was a feeling of accomplishment,” She stated when asked how she felt about being a graduating senior showing art in the senior show. “Because, nobody really thought I was going to finish my work, so me finishing it, and feeling as if I did a good job, it makes me feel accomplished. I still get compliments about some of the pieces. Somebody told me this morning that they were dope.”
D.U.S Series (Red)
VSU’s Dedo Maranville Gallery houses 16 seniors’ pieces, and Allen has 3 pieces in the show. The three pieces include: D.U.S. (Series), UURBN Throne, and UURBN Wardrobe. “Which is your favorite?” I asked. She took a long pause and said the UURBN Wardrobe. The piece she’s referring to is a slim yet tall wardrobe. Standing at 6ft, the Wardrobe towers over Allen’s small person. The wardrobe is made of wood that has been stained black, and is fashioned with glass on the doors and lights included inside to illuminate the clothes, all easily identified as UURBN by their similar logo bearing the Defy Urban Stereotypes motif. I immediately asked, “Why is this one your favorite?” It didn’t take long for her to reply, “Because it was the piece I did outside of school. I literally had to watch a You-tube video and prove to myself I could do it. I had to figure out how to figure it out.” I can’t help but be impressed about how this small woman managed to build such a tall structure. The clothes inside are just as important as the wardrobe encapsulating them. Hanging within the wardrobe are hoodies, tee-shirts, and jerseys, all coveted street-wear essentials. The fashion of UURBN takes inspiration from a hip-hop influenced 90s era. Hip-Hop enthusiasts can clearly recall a time when sporting your favorite brand’s jersey was a huge trend in parties and music videos. Wearing the jersey of a champion made you feel like you were one too, like you’re part of the team. Taking a look at the clothes, it’s clear to see that Allen seeks to bring that same feeling of camaraderie back with her ‘UURBN’ jerseys.
D.U.S Series (Yellow)
I found it appropriate to inform Allen that the UURBN Throne is my personal favorite piece of hers. The Throne is a chair built of the letters U-U-R-B-N. One could clearly tell that repetition is clearly important to Allen. Allen uses these letters to create a visual language based off of urbanism and self-pride. The Chair, similar to the wardrobe, is made of black stained wood. This piece of furniture is also ornamented with a series of small interlocking ‘UU’ logos. Thematically it pairs well with the Wardrobe because they are so similar in aesthetic. Although the pieces aren’t directly next to each other, they still converse as harmonious pieces of artistic furniture crafted in the same family. “I painted it black because black is my favorite color. Black can be a symbol of power and royalty, which is why it’s a throne, but really black is my favorite color.” Allen shared with me that the throne is meant to empower whoever is sitting on it. Since the piece acts as an accessory of luxury, the user of the piece assumes the role of royalty. “What would sitting in this chair make me the king of?” “The chair is a symbol of royalty within the community. It’s a symbol of Kingship and Queenship. I didn’t want to limit it to just one gender. Whoever chooses to sit in it is considered royalty regardless of gender and skin color. I speak on urban from the perspective of a Black Woman because that’s all I know, but UURBN doesn’t exclude anyone.”
D.U.S Series (Blue)
Lastly, the piece that Allen and I could both agree to have a special connection with is D.U.S. Series. The piece is a portrait of a man, whose face is covered by a butterfly. The figure of man and butterfly sits carefully placed on top of a colorful circle and the phrase “Defy Urban Stereotypes” is repeated behind. The series is able to be differentiated piece by piece with the circle that sits behind the man’s head. The circle varies in color; blue, red, yellow. The meaning to this piece was shared as a caption posted to Ugly Urban’s Instagram page just days before the show. The special meaning read, “Celebration of the black man. Often times black men don’t get the necessary praise they deserve, so with this piece I took a friend of mine and covered his face to take away the identity because sometimes we only treat people a certain way due to their affiliation with us when in actuality everyone deserve the same respect you give to the people you love. I used Red to represent power, love, and determination. Yellow to represent joy, happiness, and intellect. Blues represents trust, loyalty, and confidence. These words are used to combat the negativity that is formed against the black male. Love your brother and mate and uplift him so that he can be the leader he’s destined to be. Defy urban stereotypes.”
Rasheem Callender is a Fine Arts student from Atlanta, GA. While in undergrad, Callender is focusing on graphic design and printmaking. After graduating, Callender will attend grad school with the expectation of becoming an art director or a curator.
