Sharif Bey: Revelations in Power

Sharif Bey‘s current exhibition at Albertz Benda in New York City, “Revelations in Power,” features juxtapositions of elements like historical and contemporary or functional and sculptural begin to catch the eye. Entire necklaces are made from tiny pinch pot-style vessels as beads, large mask-like works reference art from Western Africa—like the Kongo peoples’ nkisi nkondi and Benin sculpture—and imagery like a raised fist looks to modern-day power symbolism. These qualities continue as the artist looks at manifestations of power through a lens that acknowledges stereotypes as an opportunity for discovery. Open through March 27, the show takes works from several of the artist’s series, (including “Protest Shields,” “Power Figures,” “Necklaces,” and “Boilermaker.”), inviting the viewer to follow Bey’s artistic journey through pieces like the face haloed by a protrusion of fists titled Protest Shield: Zulu Nots and the compelling Nazarite, which has nails protruding from much of its surface.