Ready Playa One: Exhibit Opening Night

About the Show

Ready Playa One” is solo show by John Isaiah Kennedy .These works are centered around the relationships between southern narratives, pop-culture/ video game moments, and art historical dialogues. These relationships are explored through flat languages such as pixel painting and ink drawings with a myriad of mark making.

About the Artist

Isaiah Kennedy is a maker that was born and raised in rural west Tennessee. He earned his bachelors in studio art from UT Martin and is working on his Masters in painting at U of M. His work focuses on how southern narratives interact with themes of masculinity, racial injustice, conflict, and the nature of influence. These concepts are depicted through Acrylic paintings, ink illustrations, and collages. Throughout these mediums, there is an emphasis on figural relationships, flat languages including pixelation, and descriptive mark making.