October 17–November 14, 2020
Steve Turner is pleased to present I Was Tempted To Throw My Phone In The River, a solo exhibition by New York-based Marcus Leslie Singleton that features paintings which depict life’s routine moments–fishing, driving a car, having a conversation, smoking a cigarette or just hanging out. As a group, they represent Singleton’s appreciation of and longing for the return of face to face interactions. His painting style, refined through trial and error over the last decade, has congealed into a recognizable visual language of simplified figures and forms in contrasting colors painted with lively brushstrokes. He conveys his life, his inner spirit, his imagination, his longings and his fears. According to Singleton, with these works he aims to convey the preciousness of life by celebrating Black life, culture, music, folklore, religion and tradition. “I have tried to produce a language that captures our deepest essence, one that for a large part of our history has been misunderstood. As a Black man in this country, I feel obligated to say that we are real people and that the souls of Black folks must be better recognized, by us and by others. I hope that my paintings can contribute in a way so that people from all walks of life will connect and empathize, not driven by guilt or shame, but by truthfulness and honesty.” Marcus Leslie Singleton (born 1990, Seattle) is a self-taught artist who moved from Seattle to New York in 2013 to develop his studio practice. He has had solo exhibitions at Medium Tings, Brooklyn (2018); Turn Gallery, New York (2019) and Journal Gallery, New York (2020). This is his first exhibition with Steve Turner, Los Angeles. Marcus Leslie Singleton creates paintings that depict life’s routine moments–fishing, driving a car, having a conversation, smoking a cigarette or just hanging out. They aim to highlight the preciousness of life by celebrating Black life, culture, music, folklore, religion and tradition. His painting style, refined through trial and error over the last decade, has congealed into a recognizable visual language of simplified figures and forms in contrasting colors painted with lively brushstrokes. Above all, they are about Singleton’s own life and experiences, his inner spirit, imagination, longings and fears. Born 1990, Seattle Education 2010 Solo Exhibitions 2019 2018 2013 Group Exhibitions 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 Bibliography 2019
Lives and works in Brooklyn
2012
Seattle Art Institute
South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, Washington
2020
I Was Tempted To Throw My Phone In The River, Steve Turner, Los Angeles
SPRING/BREAK Art Show (with SKAVO Gallery), New York
Circusland, TURN Gallery, New York
Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone, Medium Tings, Brooklyn
C Art Gallery, Seattle
2020
MEANWHILE, Brilliant Champions Gallery, Brooklyn
Celebrate Longevity, Superposition Gallery, Amagansett, New York
Frieze Los Angeles (with Superposition Gallery)
Infinity in a Tiny Room, SCAVO Gallery, Brooklyn
The Second Head, Office & Gallery, Los Angeles
Dakar Biennale, Senegal
Brilliant Champions Gallery, Brooklyn
Sincerely Tommy, Brooklyn
Open Space Gallery Show, New York
Afrofuturism, The New School, New York
University of Washington Artist Group Show, Seattle
Seattle African Art Fair (with C Art Gallery)
2020
Fontaine, Pearl. “Marcus Leslie Singleton Captures Life’s “In-Between” Moments,” Whitewall, April 3
Saltonstall, Gus. “Independent Art Show To Premier In Crown Heights Apartment,” Patch, May 28
