Rasheem CallenderBachelor of Fine Arts in Art
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Artist Bio
Rasheem Callender is a multi-disciplinary American artist. His artwork explores themes of his Christian faith, black culture, and identity through his contemporary lens. Callender feels fortunate to have grown up in an environment where his creativity was encouraged, and his inquisitive nature was ignited by his parents and peers. Originally born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Atlanta, GA, Callender identifies these places as influences on his fascination for art and design. Rasheem mixes these stimulations with his love for Fine Art Masters such as Michelangelo and Raphael with fashion icons such as Kerby Jean and Virgil Abloh and his favorite roster of musical superstars. Callender considers his artwork as a collaboration of faith and spirituality informed by traditional works, a blurring of pop culture and a post punk aesthetic.
Rasheem will graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art degree from Valdosta State University in 2021. Upon completion, Callender will continue to push his interests into fashion, graphic design and his other fine art passions as he looks to be an art director for streetwear brands such as Nemesis Clo and UURBN.
Rasheem Callender is a multi-disciplinary American artist. His artwork explores themes of his Christian faith, black culture, and identity through his contemporary lens. Callender feels fortunate to have grown up in an environment where his creativity was encouraged, and his inquisitive nature was ignited by his parents and peers. Originally born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Atlanta, GA, Callender identifies these places as influences on his fascination for art and design. Rasheem mixes these stimulations with his love for Fine Art Masters such as Michelangelo and Raphael with fashion icons such as Kerby Jean and Virgil Abloh and his favorite roster of musical superstars. Callender considers his artwork as a collaboration of faith and spirituality informed by traditional works, a blurring of pop culture and a post punk aesthetic.
Rasheem will graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art degree from Valdosta State University in 2021. Upon completion, Callender will continue to push his interests into fashion, graphic design and his other fine art passions as he looks to be an art director for streetwear brands such as Nemesis Clo and UURBN.
Click on the artwork to view in a larger scale
First Man, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 inches, 2020
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First Woman, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 inches, 2020
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SAVIOR, Silkscreen, 10 x 8 inches, 2020
REPENT, Intaglio, 10 x 7 inches, 2018
Untitled Series
Artist Statement
I make art that is a direct reflection on the outcomes of consuming modern media and secular culture. I am interested in how culture influences people. Through my work in painting, printmaking and digital media, I express my relationship with my faith as it pertains to my investigations into how young people are continuously swayed by a culture that leaves them with skewed perspectives on religion, drugs, and society.
Liturgical art is art that is made in reverence to the church or meant to be used as a means of worship. I consider my work to be liturgical as it references the Bible blatantly while taking inspiration from secular culture. My aesthetic choice is not disrespecting of the artwork it’s preceded by, but is in homage to the masters such as Michelangelo and Raphael. I am providing a more inclusive and contemporary view of race, gender, and identity. Artists such as Brian “Pushead” Schroeder and his use of skeletons, demonic and aggressive imagery help me shape this counter-culture approach to my own creative language.
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