Coming straight off the heels of her global debut at Paris Almine Rech Gallery, artist Genesis Tramaine returns home to Brooklyn, with new work entitled “Hebrew Boys: Portals of Faith.” The exhibition will run Nov. 9 through Dec. 14, 2019, at Richard Beavers Gallery, 408 Marcus Garvey Blvd., in Tramaine’s old stomping grounds of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Kicking off where her controversial debut exhibition “God Is Trans” left off, Tramaine’s new work continues her spiritual journey. In her new series, Tramaine draws inspiration from the Biblical book of Daniel, where Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah are laid captive in Babylon. Rejecting authoritarian orders of idolatry by reaffirming their beliefs and culture, the men are thrown into a fiery furnace and emerge, without harm. “The story of Daniel and the ‘Hebrew Boys’ as told biblically has helped to restore my faith in days of doubt or hardship,” says Tramaine.
Using traditional West African story-telling technique, Tramaine employs coded forms and symbology to capture the past and present spirit to transmit narratives of ancestral language, culture and wisdom. As a true testament and homage to her own faith, the artist depicts the resilient faith of each of these young men through what she calls “portrait portals,” or visages that are windows into our collective history that determine our future.
Tramaine was recently acknowledged as Instagram’s top trending emerging artist; her latest work delivers an empowering message of resilience and standing boldly in your truth. “I pray to God in the name of Yeshua to be a vessel; though unworthy I am willing to surrender to the Holy Spirit,” Tramaine proclaims. “It’s only then that I’m able to be used to deliver a message.”
The exhibition opening is scheduled to take place Saturday, Nov. 9. On Saturday, Nov. 17, Richard Beavers Gallery will host an artist talk moderated by Art & Culture consultant Jeremiah Olayinka Ojo.