BIO
Andre Barker Jr. (b.1997) is a figurative painter from Detroit, Michigan. He graduated summa cum laude with his BFA from Wayne State University (2022) and MFA from Columbia College Chicago in 2024. Currently, he is an Adjunct Professor at the James Pearson Duffy Department of Art, Art History & Design at Wayne State University in Detroit MI, and is represented by M Contemporary Art. He has received two Art Activity and Achievement awards from Wayne State University, a Dwight W. Follett Continuing Graduate Student Fellowship, and a Diversity and Inclusion Award from Columbia College Chicago. He has shown his work at The 3 Square Art Gallery in Fort Collins, CO; The Buckham Gallery in Flint, MI; The KCAD Alluvium Gallery in Grand Rapids, MI; The Detroit Historical Museum in Detroit, MI; and a solo show at M Contemporary Art in Ferndale, MI in 2024. He was also selected by the Ragdale residency in Lake View, IL as the recipient of the 2025 Judy Sigunick Fellowship in the Visual Arts!
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Utilizing visual motifs such as color, lighting, and symbolism, I highlight the surreal quality of being a person of color, focusing on the aftermath of trauma rather than the trauma itself. My objective is to convey vulnerability rather than strength, humanizing my subjects by distilling their essence in each painting. The performance and frequently repressed Blackness in environments marked by hate, misunderstanding and fear, enables my work to visualize the surreal and alienating core of the Black Experience. Exposing the stress and anxiety resulting from the weight of the performance and Black excellence, that causes a state of heightened awareness of self.”