Pretty Boxes 1993

Editor: "Pretty Boxes" by Sam Gilliam, created in 1993 using acrylic paint. The colors really grab your attention—it’s a joyful explosion of reds, yellows, and blues! What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a conversation, a vibrant dialogue between abstraction and social context. Gilliam was working within a lineage of Abstract Expressionism, yet he pushes beyond purely formal concerns. Consider the historical moment: the early 90s, a period marked by social and political upheaval, a time when conversations surrounding race, identity, and power were intensifying. How might this inform our understanding of an artwork that seemingly avoids explicit representation? Editor: I see the colors, and I see lines but I have not thought of the artwork through the socio-political issues. Curator: Gilliam, as a Black artist, was always navigating the predominantly white art world. Abstraction, for him, became a strategic choice. Was it a refuge? Or was it a powerful form of expression to resist legibility within a system that historically marginalized Black voices? Editor: So the chaotic energy of the lines and color, perhaps a reflection of that social upheaval and of trying to fit in or refusing to do so? Curator: Precisely! And the title, "Pretty Boxes," feels deliberately ironic, perhaps even a subtle commentary on the art world's tendency to categorize and contain. Notice the geometric forms; are they truly contained, or do they bleed and disrupt the boundaries? What do you feel it is telling us? Editor: I hadn't thought of the title as being critical or ironic! It makes me consider that, maybe it is a representation of not being trapped in societal "boxes" if that makes any sense! I feel that in abstract pieces the artists use a symbolic language that reflects lived experience. I guess in this piece, this tension gives the artwork energy! Curator: Absolutely, and it is a way that the artist could claim the painting as theirs. Thank you, this gives me food for thought too.