Robert Hodge's A MEMORY WORTH FIGHTING FOR... Exhibition Opens Today

PEVETO is honored to welcome ROBERT HODGE for an important solo exhibition of new mixed media paintings and selected museum works. Artist Reception tonight, September 12, 2013, The Beauty Box Concert Series and Artists Talks October 9, 2013. A PBS Special Interview will air September 19 at 7pm about Hodge's project in Houston's Third Ward, "The Third Ward Beauty Box" [thirdwardbeautybox.tumblr.com] The exhibition continues through October 19, 2013.

Robert Hodge's new mixed media paintings redefine the West African story telling tradition of the "Griot", a tradition for keeping tribal knowledge of Spirit Channeling, History, Poetry, Song and Symbols. As a Griot, HODGE uses found paper and advertising posters, torn from Houston's buildings, night clubs and billboards. Much like Hip-Hop repurposed Jazz and Soul sounds, HODGE's work "collages" a new story apart from the originally purposed advertising posters.

"My work primarily consists of drawing, printmaking and mixed media collage that evokes culturally relevant themes and is informed by histories of West Africa, and political events of historical and cultural significance." My intention is to tell stories about our diverse culture; knowing this is critical to understanding why I appropriate and collage POP images together to create a new dialogue out of the commercial language that surrounds us in everyday life." Educated in the public school system, HODGE learned, firsthand, that some of the most significant heroes of his cultural background were conveniently omitted from textbooks, as if swept aside and rendered invisible to both students and would-be scholars. In an era of information, where blogs, micro-blogs, and other social media reign supreme, HODGE asks, "How is this possible? Why can't all information be deemed sacred be passed forward to future generations"? These questions and their implications are precisely what Hodge seeks to address in his work.

ROBERT HODGE attended the Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, GA. His on-going project the "Third Ward Beauty Box" will be featured by Houston's PBS "Arts Insight" on September 19 at 7pm. Please see thirdwardbeautybox.tumblr.com for more information. This year he received a Houston Arts Alliance Established Artist Grant. He is a resident artist at Project Row Houses, Houston, Texas. His painting, "Black Radio", which is included in this exhibition, was used as an album cover by Blue Note recording artist Robert Glaspers "Black Radio:Remix". In 2012, "Black Radio: Remix" debuted at No. 10 Billboard's Top Current Albums and also claimed No. 1 on Billboards Jazz chart as well as No. 1 on the iTunes R&B chart. In 2013, the album received an Grammy for Best R&B album. Hodge also contributed to Adidas Originals, a grass roots marketing campaign sponsored by Adidas Worldwide.

PEVETO, A Fine Art Resource Management Company, is a multi-disciplined organization offering assistance in art acquisition, art advisory services, and art collection management to individuals and corporations as well as representing a select group of national and international artists.