Been Free
Incarcerated Artists NFT Project
Past Exhibition
Apr 29 – May 5, 2022
Los Angeles
Exhibition Details
Been Free
Incarcerated Artists NFT Project
Apr 29 - May 5, 2022
Gallery:
Huma House
Los Angeles
Press:
Medium
Connect:
@huma-house
Above: Kush
Sacred Forever, 2019
60 x 40 in
Composition of mixed media
Huma House is pleased to present Been Free: An incarcerated artists NFT project
Huma House is proud to present the work of the four artists Asia Johnson, Kenneth Webb, Gary Harrell, and Adolf “Kush” Simpson. Huma House is a nonprofit organization which provides free art exhibitions and a support network for previously incarcerated people. Through love, Huma House liberates beings from incarceration of the body, imprisonment of the heart, and sufferings of the heart.
This is no ordinary art show. The pieces you see before you have been smuggled, fought for, and pulled from hidden places to be here today. The works are here by a miracle to let a collective voice be heard. It is the time for the earth to tremble in its echoes and for the people to feel strength of this voice. Huma House together with the artists has created a stage for this movement.
This art exhibition is the accompaniment to our NFT project with Oscar winning filmmaker Lena Waithe, Hillman Grad, and the NFT marketplace Nifty’s. In this show we celebrate artists who have funneled freedom of heart, mind and spirit through their extraordinary artwork.
Featured Works
Kenneth Webb, Three Women, 2018, Acrylic on canvas, 20” x 20’’ (50.8 cm x 50.8 cm)
Gary Harrell, Gary Harrell Playing the Blues, 2019, Acrylic paint on linocut print on paper, 14.6” x 10.5” in (framed) (37.1 cm x 26.7 cm)
Asia Johnson, Freedom Unfathomable, NFT
About the Artists
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Adolf "Kush" Simpson
Kush finds the roots of his artistic expression in the trials and challenges of an early life which included incarceration and addiction. His awakening and liberation came from books and literature – both spiritual and political, which fueled his desire to know and understand himself. He was able to channel his insight and wisdom through his art. His compositions transform ordinary magazine clippings into profound and inspirational narratives. His work conveys a message of transformation, acceptance, and peace.
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Kenneth Webb
Kenneth Webb taught himself how to create artwork during his incarceration. He had no prior experience, and after picking up a paintbrush his genius with color, expression, and original compositions was instantly recognized. Not only did he create work that he donated to the community outside the prison walls but inside the prison walls he created a fellowship between men of different backgrounds, colors, upbringings, gang affiliations, age, and sentences. In an unprecedented move he lead the art room at Lancaster State Prison and founded a new one at his current institution. Recently his release date was moved from 2031 to be in 2023 to come back to the community.
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Gary Harrell
While serving a 7 to life prison sentence Gary learned how to do block printing, pointillism, and collages. Art changed his mindset and spirit during his incarceration and he began to use it as a form of freedom. MoMA Ps1 in New York had the honor of exhibiting his artwork and his pieces have been traveling the country, most recently in Cincinnati to national acclaim.
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Asia Johnson
Asia Johnson is a nationally recognized artist and filmmaker. Through her inventive and intimate storytelling she amplifies the voices of women who cannot and will not be silenced. Women who beyond all odds maintained a strength, peace, and spirit through their incarceration. Her work highlights these stories through original and inventive film techniques. She is the recipient of the Right of Return grant for filmmakers and her work has been shown in the Contemporary Museum of Detroit.
