(LEFT) Emmanuel Gillespie | Love #8, 2024 | 24” x 20” | Acrylic on Canvas (RIGHT) Jeffrey Melo | Women in Prayer, 2025 | 28” x 22” | Oil on Canvas
(BROOKLYN, NY) -- Tanya Weddemire Gallery is rooted into the ETHOS OF LOVE, exploring its powerful impact in our lives from the perspective of four prolific male artists in their next activation, CARVED IN COLOR BOUND BY LOVE Brooklyn, NY: March 13 through April 25, 2025.
Love drapes itself in many forms, according to Greek philosophy. STORGE, strong family ties; PHILIA, the form of love that bonds friends; EROS, the most known, romantic and intimate connection. Lastly AGAPE, the overarching form of love that is described as empathy in its deepest form, unconditional love. Our exhibition explores these four forms of love through the lens of four talented male artists, PHILIP A. ROBINSON JR, EMMANUEL GILLESPIE, MASHELL BLACK, and JEFFREY MELO.
CARVED IN COLOR BOUND BY LOVE is an intentional curation that ranges from the masterfully carved wood pieces by PHILIP A. ROBINSON JR. that depict the form of love - STORGE, through carved depictions of maternal bonds and the beauty of maternal love. Followed by PHILIA which is the inspiration behind MASHELL BLACK artmaking process, referencing his wife and children as main factor and impetus for his artistic expression. Deep blue hues and intimate scenes of couples struck by EROS are derived from EMMANUEL GILLESPIE “LOVE” series. JEFFREY MELO amplifies the omnipresence that AGAPE embodies with his oil portraits that mirror the viewer’s reflection back to themselves provoking a spirit of empathy and resonance with the subject in the work, which extends into an introspective empathy for oneself. This activation is a celebration of artistry and emotion, bound together by the universal force of love.
(LEFT) Mashell Black | Fathers and Sons, 2021 | 48” x 48” | Oil on Panel (RIGHT) Philip A. Robinson Jr. | Dendrochronology in Hedera Helix Part I, 2025 | Mixed Media on Metal
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
PHILIP A. ROBINSON JR. is an award-winning multimedia sculptor, conceptual artist, and educator whose work explores identity through the symbolism of wood and its connection to time and geography. Using dendrochronology as a framework, he examines the intersections of self, culture, and history, often addressing socio-political themes. Influenced by his Cherokee, African American, Trinidadian, and British heritage, as well as the neo-conceptual art movements of the 1980s, Robinson challenges ideas of cultural ownership, appropriation, and value. His work interrogates the power dynamics between dominant and marginalized cultures, emphasizing the necessity of historical discourse in shaping identity. A bi-coastal artist, Robinson holds a BFA from Skidmore College and an MFA in Sculpture from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon, continuing his practice of using art as a means of cultural reflection and preservation.
MASHELL BLACK, born in rural Jamaica in 1980, discovered his passion for art in the absence of traditional educational resources. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1994, he developed his artistic skills through watercolor lessons from his step-grandmother, while simultaneously improving his literacy. He excelled academically in Tenafly, NJ, earning a BFA from Syracuse University in 2003 and an MFA from Rutgers University in 2006. While balancing various jobs—including construction, picture framing, and running his own house painting business—Black remained committed to his artistic practice. In 2016, with the support of his wife Rabiyah, he fully dedicated himself to artmaking, refining his techniques and re-engaging with the art world. His work explores themes of isolation, belonging, and the immigrant experience, blending drawing and painting to evoke spiritual connections between the self, community, and memory. Black continues to expand his practice, carving space for those navigating life between worlds.
EMMANUEL GILLEPSIE is a Dallas-born visual artist whose work in drawing, painting, and sculpture explores the Black experience in history. With a BFA from the University of North Texas and an MA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, he brings depth and insight to his creative practice. As a professor of art in Dallas, Gillespie has completed several major public art projects, including site-specific sculptures for the Bexar Street Corridor, a DART bus station design, and bronze statues honoring Ernie Banks, Walter Hagen, and Dr. Charles Sifford. His work serves as a bridge between art and community, encouraging reflection and dialogue about history and identity. Through both 2D and 3D forms, Gillespie’s passion for storytelling brings historical narratives to life, fostering human connection and cultural awareness. His practice continues to shape conversations around history, heritage, and collective memory.
JEFFREY MELO Born in the Bronx, New York, Jeffrey Melo currently resides in New York City. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. After completing his studies in 2012, Melo returned to New York and experienced a hiatus from art until 2020. As a first-generation American of Dominican descent, Melo's identity has been a guiding force in his life; however, it was during his college years that he discovered a divergence in how he was perceived by his peers. This period of introspection coincided with a renewed surge of passion amidst the shifting dynamics of race and equality in America. The confluence of personal experience and societal change rekindled Melo’s artistic drive, instilling his work with renewed significance and purpose.
Tanya Weddemire Gallery is a Brooklyn-based art gallery that thrives from being a vital source and representation of the arts. It's a premier art destination dedicated to showcasing the work of emerging and established artists. Its mission is to deepen the value and importance of art by enriching each person's perspective on life explorations through exhibits. The gallery applies thoughtful and intentional curation while integrating cultural and historical connections to all their shows that can include, but are not limited to, paintings, sculptures, drawings, photography, fashion, and furniture.
Renowned for its impact on the art scene, the Tanya Weddemire Gallery has been featured in respected publications such as Forbesblk, Vanity Fair, ARTNEWS, Art in America, Brooklyn Rail, Industry City Publication, Amsterdam News, Black Art Magazine, PR News Wire, Brooklyn Reader, Hyperallergic, Bluecalf, Voice of America, and Park Magazine. Located at Industry City Building 2: 254 36th Street, Brooklyn, New York.
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