As featured in our new Juxtapoz Black and White book, Shantell Martin can transform a space with the simplest of black and white artwork. Not to say her work is simple; quite the contrary, she has developed her own language and composition style that feels like freestyled thoughts and an elegant conversation with a space.
"Black and white is calming," Martin told us. "It's something that is accessible to all, something that we all have experienced in some way, somewhere along the line. With color, you can, in a way, be manipulated, told where to look, your brain will lead you to certain colors first, and then you kinda get it. With black-and-white work, you are not telling the audience where to start, and there is a space for discovery and rediscovery; seeing new things each time you look."
Opening in tandem with her solo exhibition at the Denver Art Museum, Martin opened Underlined at David B Smith Gallery, featuring 12 new works on paper along with objects and custom furniture throughout the main gallery. As the gallery notes, "Via curving continuous lines punctuated with faces, figures, and words, Martin offers insight into her subconscious. Created primarily in an automatic drawing style, without any sketches or compositional studies done beforehand, each piece resonates with an unmistakable quality of flow that has become her trademark."
