Recently, just before the official start of the Illinois Stay-At-Home order, I was chatting with my friend Lajuana Lampkins on Facebook messenger. We were talking about a project we’re working on and decided it would be good for her to have a laptop. We ordered a refurbished Chromebook from this third party seller on walmart.com
It arrived this week so yesterday we did the handoff of the device over at one of her favorite pre-pandemic spots, Dimo’s Pizza on Damen (still open for whole pie takeout and delivery).
I pulled up to the joint and she was sitting on a bench next door. It is nice to have outdoor street furniture. She showed me a piece she was working on, made on a gun range target I found on Milwaukee Avenue a couple months ago.
Here’s a look at a lot of Lajuana Lampkins art from the last year or so. You can see that she has a very distinct marker style, with themes of human interaction, pop stars, political figures, and other pop ephemera.
I also picked up some of her very recent work, made in the last few days. Here’s a look:
Lampkins has created all of this work since the pandemic– adopting new takes on her existing themes. I love the addition of sprinkles, which she has been doing for a while now, and the unfinished large-format collage is something I’ve never seen before.
I’m excited and heartened to see a great artist making art. The simple act of putting today’s date on a new piece is an act of joy, of courage, and forward motion.
Last year I wrote a book called Arte Agora. It focuses on these serial acts of communion. The acts of being outside while making, selling, and placing your art there. All of these things that are inadvisable at this time– actually harmful to public health.
I’m struggling right now with how to analyze the current situation in the context of what I think is an emerging and durable genre of American art. I will save you the Very Important Thinkpiece™ at this time.
So for now just keep going, keep staying home, keep right on going on, and look at this new art.