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Shikeith — Dreams In Black & White
Shikeith

Dreams In Black & White

2013

Dreams In Black & White places the viewer in close proximity to a sleeping figure, the body rendered in rich tonal gradients that feel simultaneously intimate and monumental. Shikeith, whose practice centers on the interior lives and emotional landscapes of Black men, uses the stillness of sleep as a charged compositional device, locating vulnerability, rest, and resistance within the same quiet frame. Printed on Hahnemühle photo rag pearl paper via archival inkjet, the work carries a velvety surface depth that honors both the photographic tradition and the painterly sensitivity Shikeith brings to portraiture. The black and white palette is not an aesthetic default but a deliberate choice, stripping the image to its essential contrasts of light and shadow, presence and absence. Completed in 2013, this work predates much of the broader cultural reckoning around Black masculine identity that would unfold in subsequent years, making it a document of prescient artistic vision. At 76.2 by 91.4 centimeters, the print commands the wall with quiet authority, large enough to feel immersive without overwhelming the space around it. The absence of a frame leaves the surface exposed and unmediated, a condition that mirrors the subject's own state of unguarded repose. For collectors drawn to work that operates at the intersection of social consciousness and formal rigor, this piece represents a meaningful early statement from an artist whose significance has only grown.

Medium
Archival Inkjet print on Hahnemuhle photo rag pearl paper
Sheet

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About this work

Shikeith, Dreams In Black & White, 2013

Dreams In Black & White places the viewer in close proximity to a sleeping figure, the body rendered in rich tonal gradients that feel simultaneously intimate and monumental. Shikeith, whose practice centers on the interior lives and emotional landscapes of Black men, uses the stillness of sleep as a charged compositional device, locating vulnerability, rest, and resistance within the same quiet frame. Printed on Hahnemühle photo rag pearl paper via archival inkjet, the work carries a velvety surface depth that honors both the photographic tradition and the painterly sensitivity Shikeith brings to portraiture. The black and white palette is not an aesthetic default but a deliberate choice, stripping the image to its essential contrasts of light and shadow, presence and absence. Completed in 2013, this work predates much of the broader cultural reckoning around Black masculine identity that would unfold in subsequent years, making it a document of prescient artistic vision. At 76.2 by 91.4 centimeters, the print commands the wall with quiet authority, large enough to feel immersive without overwhelming the space around it. The absence of a frame leaves the surface exposed and unmediated, a condition that mirrors the subject's own state of unguarded repose. For collectors drawn to work that operates at the intersection of social consciousness and formal rigor, this piece represents a meaningful early statement from an artist whose significance has only grown.

Medium
Archival Inkjet print on Hahnemuhle photo rag pearl paper
Dimensions
sheet: 76.2 x 91.4 cm
Year
2013
Seen at
Human Rights Campaign Benefit Auction

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Collected by

Gavin Kennedy