Low Country Heat No Joke Opening Reception

Come to the opening reception of Low Country Heat No Joke on November 7th at 6PM. Kevin Hopkins will be showing paintings and soft sculpture and our wine bar will be open for our guests.

Artist Statement-

In Lowcountry Heat No Joke, Kevin Hopkins presents his effigy series, a syncretic body of work that channels his understanding of Gullah traditions, intergenerational Baptist teachings, and Shonen animation to create aspirational visions of Black American futurity.

Hopkins's effigies, rooted in traditional forms historically used for both healing and harm, are reimagined as conduits of protection, joy, and connection. They challenge the tension within Southern Black American communities where the necessary work of safeguarding Blackness can inadvertently narrow its expression. By centering a singular, trauma-focused narrative, space for diverse identities can be constrained. Hopkins disrupts this by activating the effigy as a site of possibility, affirming the multiplicity of Black identity and speculating on…