“I want to contribute to the prism of Blackness that beams light in all directions. Too often the Black experience is oversimplified thus discrediting its multidimensional nature. I explore identity, culture and history through emboldened imagery, pop-art aesthetics, context, and pushing boundaries of artistic mediums.”
ARTIST BIO
Andre grew up between Morristown, NJ and St. Ann, Jamaica. The stark contrast in racial demography between the two made him acutely sensitive to the role race plays in forming an individual’s sense of personal identity, history, and culture.
After earning a degree in Computer Science from Duke University, Andre moved to New York and began a career in advertising, helping companies use digital technology to drive build awareness. But in 2009, realizing that his “tech side” had dominated his “creative side” for the better part of a decade, Andre made a decision: he would take a month-long sabbatical from his job to explore his artistic pursuits – and within days, he had rediscovered his passion for oil painting. Two years later, having simultaneously maintained a full-time and award-winning advertising career, he had created a small but cohesive collection of work he felt might be worthy of presentation.
A handful of years later, Andre has made a name for himself as emerging talent, and his work has been exhibited in New York and elsewhere, including a collaboration with Coors Light for a national commercial; a solo exhibition at the FrontRunner Gallery in Manhattan, NY; the BIT Conference at SXSW in Austin, TX; a Punkt O Gallery show in Oslo, Norway; and the 2014 Jamaica Biennial in Kingston, Jamaica.
Andre is predominantly viewed as a “visual storyteller,” heavily influenced by his background in digital media, the African- American experience, and the exploration of new mediums. Since his first solo show in 2012, he's experimented with various mediums such as oil paint, pushpins, photography, lighting, and street art. He’s been commissioned for public and private works, and sold pieces to New York and LA-based art collectors.
Andre works across studio spaces between Seattle, New York and Jamaica.
ABBREVIATED ARTIST RESUME
FEATURED SOLO + GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Jamaican Routes, Punkt O Gallery Oslo, Norway
Flux Art Fair Harlem (2015), Corn Exchange Building New York, NY
Jamaica Biennial (2014), National Gallery of Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica
Blacks in Technology, SXSW Austin, TX
Black + White, Art in Flux, Aloft Hotel New York, NY
eMerge: Danny Simmons & Artists, Strivers Garden Gallery New York, NY
Bruised Thumbs Solo Exhibition, Frontrunner Gallery New York, NY
PUBLICATION + ARTIST TALKS
The International Review of African American Art, Vol.24 No. 2
Jamaican Routes Catalog, Punkt Gallery
Parallax Conversation Series, National Jazz Museum in Harlem
Art + Technology, Duke University Durham, NC
PUBLIC ART/ HOTEL ART COMMISSIONS
2019, “Boombox Sound”, AC Hotel Kingston, Jamaica
2017, “Patterns”, Renaissance 57 Hotel New York, NY
2015, “The Gaze” Commission, Troubadour Hotel New Orleans, LA
2015, “Peaks” Commission, AfroPunk Festival Brooklyn, NY
2015, “Freedom of Expression”, US Embassy of Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica
2015, Invisible Hieroglyphics, Neo@Ogilvy New York, NY
2015, “Refresh” Commission, Coors Light Popup New York, NY
2014, “Buttons” Commission, Renaissance Hotel New York, NY
2014, “Attitude is Everything” Commission, Renaissance Hotel New York, NY
2014, “Invisible Hieroglyphics - Flipbook”, Arrow Electronics Denver, CO
2014, “Invisible Hieroglyphics – Air Hockey”, Arrow Electronics Denver, CO
2012, “Untitled” Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners New York, NY
PRESS BUZZ
Complex
Mashable
Gizmodo
Huffington Post
DailyMail UK
New York Times: Art Section (print)
ArtINFO
Jet Magazine (print)
Ebony Mag
The Grio
Forbes Article
Black Artist News: Exhibition Coverage
Black Enterprise Photo Gallery
Black Enterprise Article
FHM Malaysia
Huffington Post UK
My Modern Met
If It's Hip, It's Here
Trendhunter
Zilla Mag
Yahoo News
Buzzfeed
DudeCraft
Complex
UptownSocial
XXL
RocNation