Bernard Hoyes: Out from Under the Net

Out from Under the Net is an evolution of Bernard Hoyes’ signature Rag Series, onwhich he worked intensively throughout the 1970s. The series symbolized and documented Hoye’s journey from a struggling artist to one of prominence. In 1979 Hoyes exhibited the works at the William Grant Stills Art Center, a division of the L.A. Municipal Arts Department. Around this time, Hoyes formed the Caribbean Cultural Institute to help expose Caribbean culture to America. His colorful and rhythmical compositions reflect his Afro-Caribbean roots, specifically the rituals of African spirituality and Christianity, and place heavy emphasis on the roles and power of women, especially in the realms of music, dance and magic. In this new exhibition, Out from Under the Net, Hoyes finds that the artistic language he developed in the 1970’s has become more complex, with added explorations in collage, painting and printmaking. Hoyes originally wanted to convey moods and find expression through mono printing, which could be “dramatic, spontaneous and controlled in gestures, symbolizing evils of poverty, prejudice, material fixation, panic and mental confusion.” In this work, the emotional and physical struggles of race, identity, assimilation, ancestry, and memory have become coded messages of release and freedom. Curated by Lisa Henry