Finlandia University Gallery hosts rising stars at fall exhibit

Ashanté Kindle and Khari Turner both created new work for their recent Finlandia University exhibit Copper Planted Seeds. After learning about the mining history of the Copper Country and the concept of Sisu, the artists developed work that sought common ground with our local history and connected with their experiences in life.

“Initially when thinking about making work for Copper Planted Seeds, I thought a lot about the history of your area and the role Black people played in that history,” Kindle said. “I think about Blackness as an accumulation of all things, lacking nothing. There are so many ways to exist in Blackness and my work is my way of visually communicating my own existence and what I find beautiful about my identity.”

In her last year of graduate school at the University of Connecticut, Kindle has made a place for herself in the New York art scene, exhibiting five shows there in 2021 alone.

A rising star in the art world, Turner focuses on Black history, using imagery to express the relationship between his emotions and understanding his past, a journey of spiritual connection for him that acknowledges both the elegance and chaotic nature of existence. “My main thought process for Copper Planted Seeds was in relation to the word sisu and history,” Turner said.

Since scheduling his exhibit at Finlandia University Gallery at the beginning of 2021, Turner’s work is finding an enthusiastic audience of art collectors. Recent collectors of his work include CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper and American portrait painter, Kehinde Wiley, who painted the portrait of former President Barack Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. During his exhibit at Finlandia University Gallery, collectors from as far away as France and South Korea inquired about purchasing his work.  

The Finlandia community was fortunate to have these two talented artists working with its students during their campus visit in late September 2021. 

To learn more about the Finlandia University Gallery and upcoming exhibits, visit their website here.

Article provided by Finlandia University Gallery.