March 28, 2020

Today I picked up the phone and called my long time friend, the artist Chris Udemezue. I met Chris in 2009 while he was on vacation in San Francisco shortly after he graduated from the New School. Chris is the REAL DEAL. He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth or a guaranteed path to success. He's found a way to survive and thrive as an artist by making his own place in the art world. He's equal parts talented and resourceful which is the magic. Since I've known him, Chris has always been 100% himself. He put it all out there to hang out and in turn, success followed Chris...Not the other way around. My admiration for this human being is beyond words, so enjoy our phone call today and remember; its the quality of conversation, not the quality of the audio recording. This is AM art radio!  

Born in Long Island, NY Christopher Udemezue has shown at a variety of galleries and museums, including the New Museum, Queens Museum of Art, PS1 MoMa, Bruce High Quality Foundation, and Envoy Enterprises. Udemezue recently has utilized his Jamaican heritage and the complexities of desire for connection, tragedy through personal mythology and public lynching as a primary source. As the founder of the platform RAGGA NYC & CONNEK JA, he completed a residency with the New Museum "All The Threatened and Delicious Things Joining One Another" in June 2017. Also being the lead organizing member of the art collective House of Ladosha, Christopher has shown recently in the New Museum’s “Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon” 40 year anniversary show and he was apart of the chosen artists in The Shed's Open Call grant program/ show that was on show in the new Hudson Yards Shed gallery, NYC in June 2019.

READ MORE ABOUT CHRIS:

ArtNews

WNYC

Topical Cream

Further references:

Advocate

Recess

The Shed

The New Museum