L A W @ Black Wall Street

Oct 25

Court of Two Sisters, 2021 Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas 72 x 58 in (182.88 x 147.32 cm)

A new solo-show from Atlanta-based artist Lawrence “L A W” Parker opens Thursday, October 27, 2022, at 7 PM at Black Wall Street Gallery, 555 West 25th Street.

In it, L A W, presents a recent body of work completed in 2021-2022 as he moved from New York to his native South. The show is curated by Dr. Ricco Wright and is open to the public.

Writer Marquez Woods calls Freeman Revival: Inherited Past is a taste of home in a city full of transplants “a deep dive into LAW’s home in New Orleans and an homage to the righteous, dignified, grounded and community-based life his mentors and ancestors lived.

“LAW has no shortage of creative talent. The NOLA native owns a streetwear boutique - which eventually, became, a showroom for artistic works. He’s also has been an A&R, a manager for hip-hop legends, a producer of iconic albums, and has even laid vocals on his own tracks. But today, LAW takes a different approach toward his creative endeavors,” Woods continued.

A Cross to Bear, 2022
Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas 82 x 68 in (208.28 x 172.72 cm)

L A W’s large tapestry-like canvases each have titles and dedicated texts. These texts come from his grandfather’s sermons written on the back of the canvases. Reverent Doctor Willie Freeman Senior was pastor and community organizer at a Baptist church in New Orleans. The influence of this figure and of this city has never left the artist.

“As a child, I remember sitting in my grandfather’s church for revival. Rev. Dr. Willie Freeman Sr. was a man of purpose exhibiting power of the pulpit. I had no choice but to attend his sermons. Those memories served as the basis for my very first art collection that consists of the bountiful words and phrases he exhibited in his speeches or shared with me throughout his life. The Freeman Revival is my dedication to not only him and my family, but also my contribution to the ever-growing art scene that I am proud to be a part of.”

Up a Little Higher, 2022 Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas 83 x 70 in (210.82 x 177.80 cm)

Acrylic and gold leaf mimics the golden light of “spring leaning into summer,” the time when Revivals used to take place in L A W’s childhood. Abstract iterations of beige, mauve, turquoise, black and carmine create precarious symphonies of color. All of them have golden figures in the center reinstating the artist’s credo that we each are in the process of becoming, while our human foundation is at the very center of our being.

The artist talk with L A W will take place on 3pm, Saturday October 29.