Hidden Parts of Me
InDemand Art Studio
Baton Rouge
April 11
Do you have any secret talents?
For Nicole Johnson, a local Baton Rouge artist, a secret talent of painting and drawing was a secret, not just from everyone else but her as well until she helped her daughter with a preschool project.
“What began as leftover paint and a playful competitiveness with my daughter revealed itself as something deeper: a sense of belonging I had not known I was missing,” Johnson wrote in her artist statement.
“For many years, my focus was raising my children and building a life for my family,” she continued. “Now I am learning to make space for this gift as well. Every piece marks a step in that journey — one that reveals not only the faces of others, but the hidden parts of me.”
“Hidden Parts of Me” is on view at InDemand Art Studio in Baton Rouge. The reception Saturday night was the kind of event that brings people together. The exhibit featured mostly charcoal portraits and some paintings/multimedia pieces peppered in between.
Walking up to InDemand Art Studio Saturday night felt like walking into a house party. There were people hanging out on the porch, chatting and taking selfies. The music was loud enough to set the mood but not too loud to have a conversation. The main thing that set the space apart from other studio spaces in Baton Rouge is how homey it felt. Instead of inhabiting an open space with huge walls and minimalist furniture, Johnson’s work was hung organically within a space with fun colored lounge chairs and among cabinets and wine bottles like it might be in someone’s home.
Her portraits are mostly of famous people. One set hung together were of Boris Johnson, Diana Ross, Joan Crawford, and Bob Marley. Another depicts a film still from “Harlem Nights,” a 1989 crime comedy starring Della Reese and Eddie Murphy. Portraits, especially of familiar movie stars or public figures, can be a double-edged sword when it comes to art. Everyone knows what the person is supposed to look like. It’s easy to produce pieces that invoke the uncanny valley because they’re just a little off in a way that might be inarticulable but definitely felt.
A few pieces fall into that trap here, but not many. Others, like “Now I gotta Cut Ya!” are striking. Here Eddie Murphy’s character is in focus while Della Reese’s is in the background. It’s as though Johnson captured the very moment the camera shifts focus to illuminate Murphy’s reaction to being threatened. Johnson has a great attention to detail. She brings out the crinkle in people’s eye, the softness of their expressions, and the little parts of their face that make them not quite symmetrical.
Johnson’s art is focused on other people, and it also brought people together. Going to art gallery receptions is one of the best hacks for socializing in your twenties. There’s food, there’s wine, there’s a natural conversation piece and no expectation that you’ll buy anything. Johnson’s reception was anything but a serious affair where people solemnly look at the art in silence. Conversation was lively and people were meeting friends of friends and even strangers. If more art receptions were like this, everyone would go.
