Day of Absence
[Yvonne Hutchins, mother of the artist]
54” x 72” Acrylic and collage on canvas
2019

Collection of the artist

“Imar Hutchins is an artist by birthright who has spent a lifetime collecting his inheritance. By amassing a museum-worthy collection of historic reference documents and tracing family histories towards their origins, he has equipped himself for the self-assigned task to pass learned wisdom along to future generations. This task of an educator is considered a sacred obligation, and it is one that quite literally runs through Imar’s bloodlines. His upcoming solo exhibition, titled Inheritance, fuses his prolific printmaking practice with his signature work as a collagist, imprinting stories recorded in his family archives onto the surfaces of his mixed media portraiture. Each portrait depicts a person of supreme significance, some directly related to Imar by blood and some adopted through a spiritual bond. But, all are uplifted into one visual documentary in recognition of their contributions to the realm of knowledge for the collective benefit of building a unified human family.”

– Zoma Wallace, Curator, Inheritance

Inheritance was exhibited at:

Muhammad Ali Center (Louisville, KY) January 17 – April 19, 2020

Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (Hyattsville, MD) September 6 – October 13, 2019

Click here for more information about the recent exhibitions of Inheritance

“I Lived Half of my Life in the Darkness, and Half in the Light.”
[Lyman T. Johnson]
54” x 72” Acrylic and Collage on canvas
2019

Collection of University of Kentucky.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Lyman T. Johnson’s lawsuit which desegregated of the University of Kentucky, the University has commissioned Imar to create his portrait to mark the occasion. The portrait will reside in a dormitory named in honor of Mr. Johnson. Johnson is not only the first African American student to enroll in the University of Kentucky after a groundbreaking lawsuit argued by Thurgood Marshall, but he is also Imar’s grandfather. Mr. Johnson’s portrait is central to Imar’s Inheritance exhibition.

Opener of the Way
[Toussaint Louverture]
54” x 72” Acrylic and collage on canvas
2018

Collection of Stephanie Etienne & Bradford Young

The distinctive profile of Toussaint Louverture pays homage to both the military leader of the Haitian Revolution and the pioneering modernist figuration attributed to Jacob Lawrence. In 1938, Lawrence created a series dedicated to Louverture, featuring a portrait sharing a similar profile. In his unique way, Imar uses the depths of navy blue to outline the details of Louverture’s corporeal form while signifying the ineffective Naval forces rebuffed by his tactical genius.  As in most of Imar’s portraits, gold signifies the regal presence of the subject in the annals of history, which compliments the richness of aquatic hues dominating this particular canvas. A close reading of his military hat reveals a pair of sacred horns that recur throughout Imar’s brand of portraiture.

Untitled
[Homage to sculptor Simone Leigh]
54” x 72” Acrylic and Collage on canvas
2019

The Fire Next Time
[James Baldwin]
54” x 72” Acrylic and collage on canvas
2019

Collection of Douglas E. Jones

There is hardly a face more recognizable than that of The Greatest. Ali on canvas as in life cannot be silenced. In fact, a strip of the vintage Nation of Islam periodical “Muhammad Speaks”, affirms this fact. Images of protests against war, resistance to imperial domination, and prayers to the Divine formulate Ali’s suit, bow tie, and the shadows of his face. A radiant yellow background projects confidence and warmth behind golden selections of clippings that together depict a fiery young activist.

Banna-Ka
[Benjamin Banneker]
54” x 72” Acrylic and collage on canvas
2019

Collection of the District of Columbia

Washingtonians hear the name Benjamin Banneker, and vaguely associate him with the layout of the District of Columbia. But not much detail is known about this quiet genius whose contributions to mathematics and astronomy would be uplifted alongside Da Vinci or Galileo if he were not of African descent in 18th century America. I have spent the better part of this year researching Banneker’s significant contributions to Washingtonian history in order to produce a portrait that honors his legacy and connection to the city.

Banneker himself was a child prodigy. He would not own a book until he was over 30 years old, yet the almanac that he published would become world-renowned. His first gained notoriety when, still a teenager, he built a clock made out of wood, that struck every hour on the hour—without ever even seeing such a clock for reference! At that time, there were only three people in America known to have the skills to build clocks or watches, and all had been trained extensively in Europe. Banneker’s clock, composed completely from wooden components that he carved himself, struck accurately for over 50 years until his death.

Few know that Banneker’s grandfather was actually an African prince and that his wife, Banneker’s grandmother, was a European landowner near what is now Ellicott City, Maryland. The Banneker surname, as it appears on his almanacs, comes from his grandfather’s name, Banaka (Banna-Ka). I believe Banaka was of the Dogon people from modern-day Mali, West Africa. I conjecture that the name translates approximately to “Finished Soul”, “Evolved Soul”, or one’s “Highest Energy.” Banna in the Dogon language, means “through”, as in, finished, fulfilled, and complete. It also is used mathematically as a term for “measurer.” Ka, with ancient Kemetic roots, is most commonly translated into the concept of the soul or vital energy that composes our personality or selfhood. Ka, in relation to its Nilo-Saharan roots of the Dogon language, also translates into “house,” related to the concept of self being the house of the soul. Furthermore, the Dogon are known for a highly sophisticated and complex cosmology and astronomical knowledge. Aspects of this knowledge are apparent in Banneker’s own studies and in the layout of the District. I believe, based on my research, that the Banna-Ka name therefore speaks to the regal and enlightened lineage that influenced Benjamin Banneker.

Portraits of Banneker are few and far between, and have typically been derivative versions of one particular engraving that was not likely drawn from life. I used elements of this engraving (as it was purportedly drawn from life) merged with physical descriptions of him and my own imagination. I offer a portrait of a young man of about 19 years old. This is the age at which he built his clock, before his name and his studies would become more widely known. By depicting him in youth, this image can inspire young people to imagine their own greatness that may one day change the course of history.

Dolen
40” x 52” Acrylic and collage on canvas
2017

Collection of Dolen Perkins Valdez

Dolen’s eyes are portals of intensity. She is known most readily for her literary authorship, but to examine the collaged layers of this canvas is to investigate beyond her well-known prose into the origins of such intensity. The visual information concentrated within her body offer biographical hints at the legacies that inform her work, her brilliance, and her inspiration. Imar’s signature geometry form the contours of her form, and from her crown of curls, emerge the horns distinctive of Imar’s sacred cows.

Look for me in the Whirlwind
[Marcus Garvey]
40” x 52” Acrylic and collage on canvas
2018

Collection of Ng'ethe Maina and Adrianne Shropshire

The stoic figure of Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. foregrounds a sea of blue. His figure is sculptural, reminiscent of carved power objects of West African origin. In his lifetime, Garvey envisioned a physical return of Black Americans- a crossing of the sea- to African lands of origin. Dressed in full regalia, royal purple hues draped with golden cords pronounce his leadership of the UNIA-ALC (Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League) and his visionary intentions towards unification and self-determination.

Untitled
[Josephine Baker]
40” x 52” Acrylic and collage on canvas
2018

Collection of Erika Gibson

Josephine Baker’s signature style is under-acknowledged for its profound influence on the shape of modern aesthetics. From architecture to fine arts, her inimitable dance vernacular adorned with sleek couture introduced a silhouette that is still as unabashedly replicated by contemporary audiences as it was by her prominent Parisian peer group. Referencing the Parisian poster of the early 1930’s by Jean Chassaing, Imar amplifies Baker’s Art Deco style by layering bejeweled shapes, each framing elements of her personal history. Of the narratives illustrated by collaged source images, her conception of building a global family is portrayed within the sculpted coif that she is most famous for donning. Her progressive dream is literally on her mind and figuratively on her heart.

The direct gaze of a young Octavia Butler is arresting with thoughtful concentration and a peaceful aura that flows in concentric soft pink currents around her form. The dimensions of her likeness are composed of hand-typed excerpts from her novel manuscripts along with images of lunar landscapes and views of Earth from outer space. This poetic pairing illustrates her prophetic perspective of humankind from a transcendent plane of existence while uplifting her role as an Afro-Futurist forerunner. The winding road that forms the break of her jacket collar recalls the book-cover of one of her literary masterworks.

Imar’s most recently completed collage on canvas is compositionally informed by the September 1963 special issue cover of Ebony magazine, celebrating the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation. However, his creative license moves this initial reference into the realm of metaphor. Instead of the magazine’s black background, a deep chocolate evocative of ebony wood is chosen as the portrait’s foundation. True to form, Douglass stares into a distance, towards future progression with intentionality and authority. The tones and scripts used for the majority of his skin and hair suggest aged papers of historic documents onto which Douglass’ abolitionist efforts helped to ink enlightened ideals.

Imar Hutchins explores the legacy of African American resiliency in the face of injustice through a series of collage and mixed-media portraits. Adorned in elaborate jewelry and colorful symbolism his portraits are not only decorated in fanciful garb, but also cloaked in honor and dignity. Inspired by the reverence bestowed on cows in India, his work offers a unique commentary on the (mis)treatment of Black people in America. Hutchins' use of vintage Jet, Ebony and Life magazines along with old newspaper clippings helps to contextualize the Black American experience, while his surrealist imagery reimagines what it means to be seen as Black.

The works featured in Sacred Cows depict close friends and family members of the artist including his daughter, father and great uncle. His highly stylized portraits are not meant to be realistic representations of the individuals, but seek to reveal their inner beauty and inherent divinity. Animal characteristics, such as cow ears and horns, are added to the faces, as well as adinkra symbols and religious iconology, which are woven into the background of his assemblages. Through the blending of species, cultures and belief systems the artist calls attention to the parallels and paradoxes of sacred cattle and exploited chattel.

— Martina Dodd, Curator of Sacred Cows Exhibition, 2017

Starry Eyed