Atlanta Contemporary announces 20 Artists Selected for the 2019 Atlanta Biennial

A thousand tomorrows

On View: Thursday, January 17 – Sunday, April 7, 2019

Public Opening: Thursday, January 17, 2019 from 6-8pm

ATLANTA —November 14, 2018 —Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (Atlanta Contemporary) announces the 20 artists participating in the Atlanta Biennial. With a roster of interdisciplinary artists whose practices are decidedly inside and beside the larger art world– A thousand tomorrows brings new voices to the galleries by presenting not only the visual arts, but also television, fiber arts, music and sound.

This is not an exhibition from a hindered view obstructed by glass, but a view forged by a lasting commitment to go, look, and see. Art has never been confined to the realm of museums, galleries, artist studios, or any other dedicated spaces that collectively contain art. It is, indeed, the stuff of everyday life: images, words, renderings, sounds, and movements. When manipulated by a skilled artist, these elements convey some essential truths and speak to the human condition. In this exhibition, rowdy optimism and unswerving openness are on full display alongside rigid discipline and the universal need for connection. The artworks on view address a variety of political, social, economic, and personal realities, but in their collectivity are foremost about artists recapturing their future: combining their vision and abilities to construct something tangible and welcoming tomorrow, the day after, and many days after that.

The 2019 Atlanta Biennial presents works by twenty artists from the region who are simultaneously engaged in both immediately local, regionally specific conversations and larger themes pervading our world. The boundaries of the Southeastern United States are not so easily delineated, and there is plenty of debate on exactly where qualifies as belonging to this somewhat nebulous, but still approximate, geographic region. For our purposes, the Southeast will be defined by the ten states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The 2019 Atlanta Biennial will be co-curated by Phillip March Jones, Curator-at-Large at Institute 193, Lexington and Daniel Fuller, Curator, Atlanta Contemporary.

The full list of artists is as follows:

The American Music Show
On air 1981-2005
Atlanta, GA

Beverly Baker
Born Lexington, KY
Lives Lexington, KY

Robert Beatty
Born Lexington, KY
Lives Lexington, KY

Mary Ann Carroll
Born Sandersville, GA
Lives Fort Pierce, FL

Kevin Cole
Born Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Lives Atlanta, GA

Jessie Dunahoo
Born St. Helen’s, KY
Lived St. Helen’s, KY

Joy Drury Cox
Born Atlanta, GA
Lives Chapel Hill, NC

Jill Frank
Born Louisville, KY
Lives Atlanta, GA

Mike Goodlett
Born Wilmore, KY
Lives Wilmore, KY

Alicia Henry
Born Illinois
Lives Nashville, TN

John Isiah Walton
Born New Orleans, LA
Lives New Orleans, LA

Carol John
Born Camden, NJ
Lives Athens, GA

Joni Mabe
Born Cornelia, GA
Lives Athens, GA

Jiha Moon
Born Daegu, South Korea
Lives Atlanta, GA

Alina Perez
Born Miami, FL
Lives Miami, FL

Amy Pleasant
Born Birmingham, AL
Lives Birmingham, AL

Jim Roche
Born Jackson County, FL
Lives Tallahassee, FL

Tom Scicluna
Born London, England
Lives Miami, FL

Matthew Shain
Born San Francisco
Lives New Orleans

Aaron Skolnick
Born Burlington, KY
Lives Lexington, KY

Melvin Way
Born Ruffin, SC
Lives Ruffin, SC

About Atlanta Contemporary

Atlanta Contemporary engages the public through the creation, presentation and advancement of contemporary art. Founded in 1973 as Nexus, a grassroots artists’ cooperative, Atlanta Contemporary has since become one of the southeast’s leading contemporary art centers. We play a vital role in Atlanta’s cultural landscape by presenting over 45 exhibitions throughout the year, featuring consequential artists from the local, national, and international art scenes. We are one of the few local institutions that commissions new works by artists, paying particular attention to artists of note who have not had a significant exhibition in the Southeast. We organize 90+ diverse educational offerings annually, unrivaled by other local organizations of our size. We are the only local organization to provide on-site subsidized studio space to working artists through our Studio Artist Program, removing cost as a barrier to the creative process. Visit atlantacontemporary.org to learn more.

All press inquiries, contact:
Daniel Fuller, Curator
Daniel@atlantacontemporry.org