Highs and Lo-Fi's
Adrian Armstrong
August 3rd - 31st, 2019
We encourage visitors to bring an internet-capable device and headphones to listen to the musical components of the exhibition. Free Wi-Fi is available onsite.
Highs and Lo-Fi’s is a multisensory exhibition which explores the topic of mental health in African American culture. It is partly an exploration of Armstrong’s own personal struggles and a discussion about why mental health is often a taboo topic in the culture he was raised in. Many minorities suffer from depression in one form or another but it is often dismissed, ignored, or misdiagnosed. The show will focus specifically on mental health issues in the African American community with the intent of fostering an open and inclusive dialogue.
By pairing music and art, Armstrong aims to fully convey the highs and lows of mental health issues. Not only exploring what mental health issues such as depression are but also how they manifest in ones day to day life.
The show consists of a series of figurative paintings and drawings (including excerpts from the “We Can’t Breathe” series) depicting different scenarios and feelings associated with depression as experienced by Armstrong and other people who have engaged him in conversations about their personal experiences with mental health issues. Accompanying these paintings will also be an EP of self-produced songs created in tandem with the visual elements.
Adrian Armstrong is a creative from Omaha, NE now living and working out of Austin, TX. Armstrong received his BFA from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in 2014. Through portrait and figurative practices, Armstrong’s work explores identity and what it means to be a black person living in modern America. His work touches on topics such as depression within the black community, systematic oppression, and police brutality; but on the other side of the spectrum explores fashion, love, success and growth.