The Philadelphia Inquirer | African mythology and folklore collide in William Villalongo’s entrancing velvety portraits
The Tyler school alum, who will have a career retrospective at PAFA, draws inspiration from the resilience and beauty of Black lives: from Henry Box Brown to his mother's tchotchkes.
"Much has been written about Henry Box Brown’s body. The 33-year-old enslaved man from Virginia was 5′10″ and around 200 pounds in the spring of 1849 when he forced himself into a wooden box not much bigger than an oven. It was addressed to the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society in Philadelphia, where he re-emerged 27 hours later as a free man.
The story of Brown’s extraordinary escape to freedom has been retold for generations through books, films, and stage productions (including a play by Tony Kushner). Few works, however, have captured the depth and defiance of Brown’s eyes like artist William Villalongo’s portrait, 27 Hour Cargo Piece.
Within the confines of the crate, Brown’s body is an abstract amalgamation of cuts. Just his eyes are visible in a swirl of white slices that Villalongo cut out of black velvet, using a method called flocking. The brown concentric circles stare out, arresting and haunting amid the swooshes and hearts that loosely outline Brown’s face and knees. His arm and feet are the only parts of his body that Villalongo painted with realistic detail, folded and cramped inside.
'I was thinking a lot about Blackness and movement, and the ways in which Black people, particularly in this country, have to move, change, and shift almost all the time in order to navigate racism and the types of systemic inequalities that are baked into the society we live in,' said Villalongo, who was raised in Bridgeton, N.J., and now lives in Brooklyn.
The piece is one of approximately 35 artworks that will go on display at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in May for Villalongo’s retrospective, Myths and Migrations. The show marks the first touring solo exhibition of his work, spanning his 20-year career, including painting, sculpture, sketches, and a video installation."
Read the full article "African mythology and folklore collide in William Villalongo’s entrancing velvety portraits" online at inquirer.com by By Rosa Cartagena (Philadelphia Inquirer, March 15, 2025).
Featured Image from the article: Artist William Villalongo in front of his mixed-media paintings "Zero Gravity 1" (top) and "Zero Gravity 2." The exhibit "William Villalongo: Myths and Migrations" runs May 15 through Aug. 31 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Argenis Apolinario, NYC
