Taurean

About the Artist

Taurean Washington was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1985. He received his BA in Studio Art from Hood College in 2012. Washington has exhibited in the US and abroad including shows at Laguna Gallery, in Laguna Beach California, Delaplaine Visual Arts Center in Frederick MD, Hood College in Frederick MD, and several other venues in the DC/Maryland Metropolitan area. His work has been reviewed in The Baltimore Sun, The Frederick News Post, and featured in the Howard County Dragonfly Arts Magazine among other independent blogs and internet publications. In 2023, Washington received an honorarium from the University of Maryland College park to deliver a keynote address on African American Contributions in the Arts. Taurean Washington lives and works in Frederick, MD

Artist's Statement

Welcome to Art-Hop: The Manifesto Exhibition, a solo art exhibition by Taurean Washington. Art-Hop is a new art movement coined by Taurean Washington that explores the intersection of Art-History and hip-hop culture expressed in various says or “styles” Throughout this exhibition, two styles will be explored. Style #1 is called “Art Chops”, where the works created have references, riffs, and elements of known famous works of art in from the canon of western art or other established art movements in history. Just as producers sample old rock records and create a beat by referencing drums or sounds in a loop, Taurean creates art in that same fashion in visual form. Style #2 is called “Art-Cing” where the works are visual interpretations of the song. Viewers will notice there will be text or lyrics referencing hip hop or cultural references throughout the work. This manifesto is comprised of works ranging in subject matter such as pop culture, religion, politics, sex, religion, and culture from the African American community. In conclusion, the movement of Art-Hop was birthed out of Taurean’s passion for both art and hip hop. As it is a trend nowadays that both worlds are more intertwined, Taurean foresaw how intriguing both worlds would collide before this cultural phenomenon took shape. It is Taurean’s intention to bridge the gap between art from the institution and the everyday observer of art.