In the Studio

Jurrell Lewis | February

David Leggett uses humor and levity to
invite viewers into difficult conversations.

David Leggett. Y'all just wanna dance, 2022. Acrylic, collage and spray paint on panel, 24 x 24 inches (61 x 61 cm)

David Leggett. I would vote for you, 2021. Acrylic, spray paint, felt and collage on paper mounted on canvas, 36 x 36 inches (91.4 x 91.4 cm)

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Jurrell Lewis – In your work you repurpose images and tropes from what you call Black Americana, could you give a description of what Black Americana is to you?

David Leggett –  So, I collect a lot of stuff from our past. Some of the stuff that I have goes back to the early 1900s. It’s a lot of cast iron banks, a lot of early Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima stuff. It’s advertising with Black faces, and it’s a lot of awful stereotypes, a lot of just terrible stereotypes of the time. What’s really interesting to me is how our faces were used to sell soap or rice and things like that, but we were still vilified at the same time.

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