The PROUD Show is an exhibition showcasing the voices of and work by Black, queer, Tulsa-based artists Carle the Artiste, Alexander Tamahn and Kalup Linzy.
Artist Statement – Kalup Linzy
Kalup Linzy’s work is a pantheon of thirty plus personas, many of which he performs in drag, that recur throughout a fictional network of interconnected relationships that inform
an epic, narrative saga. In his video and film works, he serves as writer, director, cinematographer, editor, and actor—and, in a distinctive strategy, also voices and overdubs the dialogue of multiple characters that he doesn’t physically portray. In exploring the interwoven threads of his characters, he is embroiled in the politics of performativity; of identity, race, gender and sexuality. The works are also produced in the mediums of photography, live performance, and painting. These efforts are mostly presented in art galleries, museums, music venues, art house theaters, art fairs, radio, local record shops, and/or the internet. Linzy also frequently collaborates with other artists. In Ozara and Katessa, Linzy and Franco both play multiple roles and share the voice overs.
About the Artists
Carle the Artiste
In their first years sharing their art with the world, Carle Jackson has established themselves as a renowned local queer artist in Tulsa. They have displayed at Tulsa Pride three years running, and launched their own business, “Out of Mind Illustrations” in 2021 to facilitate commissions and public showing. They look forward to graduating Rogers State University with a BA in Studio Art in the fall.
Kalup Linzy
Kalup Linzy is a video and performance artist born in Clermont, Florida and raised in Stuckey, Florida. Linzy received his MFA from the University of South Florida in 2003. He also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Linzy has been the recipient of numerous awards including a grant from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship, Creative Capital Foundation grant, a Jerome Foundation Fellowship, an Art Matters Grant, The Headlands Center for the Arts Alumni Awards Residency, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Film and Video and a BAU Institute Travel Grant.
Linzy’s best-known work is a series of politically charged videos that satirize the conventions of the television soap opera. His work has been included in exhibitions Frequency at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Prospect.1 New Orleans, 30 Americans, Rubell Family Collection, MoMA PS1 Greater New York, At Home/Not At Home: Works from the Collection of Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg, Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College. His work is in the public collections at The Studio Museum in Harlem, Whitney Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Birmingham Museum of Art, The Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania, and the Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester.
He has lectured at universities and colleges across the country including New York University and Harvard University.
Linzy has worked and collaborated with many well known artists, celebrities, and fashion designers. Among them are James Franco, Chloe Sevigny, Natasha Lyonne, Liya Kebede, Leo Fitzpatrick, James Ransone, Dan Colen, Nate Lowman, Diane von Furstenberg, Proenza Schouler, Michael Stipe, Tunde Adebimpe, and the band TV on the Radio.
Alexander Tamahn
Celebrated visual artist and community leader Alexander Tamahn is a multi-disciplined creative embracing the entrepreneurial spirit and thriving while the impact of his work grows. A founding member of the Tulsa-based, Black contemporary artist cohort, Black Moon Collective, Tamahn has thrived at the intersections of art, design, and social impact. Whether it is his mural design, 2D mixed media compositions, beadwork, or wearable fashion, Tamahn’s work is vibrant, visually stunning, and rich with socially engaging and impactful themes. Recently, his work and community engagement caught the attention of T-Mobile, who commissioned Tamahn to install a mural on the façade of Metro by T-Mobile in Tulsa and featured him in national media related to the project.
