Diedrick Brackens Awarded the $50,000 Wein Artist Prize

Bitter Attendance Drown 2018, a Woven cotton, acrylic yarn, and polyester organza artwork by Diedrick Brackens, winner of the Joyce Alexandar Wein Artist Prize. Image: Artist

ART NEWS: Los Angeles-based artist Diedrick Brackens receives the thirteenth annual Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize which comes with $50,000 unrestricted funds.

BY KAZAD

Image: The Los Angeles-based artist Diedrick Brackens at work stitching one of his of artworks

Diedrick Brackens, winner of the annual Joyce Alexandar Wein Artist Prize at work on one of his artworks. Photo courtesy of the artist

NEW YORK, NY- Los Angeles-based artist Diedrick Brackens has been awarded the thirteenth annual Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize. The presentation was made during The Studio Museum in Harlem annual Gala held at the Park Avenue Armory. The award comes with $50,000 in unrestricted funds

Born 1989, in Mexia, Texas, Diedrick Brackens explores textile art in a very innovative and deeply thoughtful way to address issues of identity, race, and sociopolitical issues in the United States. In the space of seven years, he has become one of the young artists to watch out for in the global art space.

Diedrick Brackens tapestries and textile sculptures feature figures in silhouettes, abstract images, and narrative scenes addressing different contemporary and historical experiences. With his works, Brackens navigates the intersections of cultural histories and traumas in the U.S. especially as they relate to various weaving traditions. They also touch on his own position as a queer man of color exploring a craft traditionally regarded as “women’s work.”

Telling Stories

Some of Brackens’s works are carefully constructed and glued together to articulate important stories. Additionally, he brings context to his creations by incorporating lyrical titles that give viewers something to ponder about as they examine his works. For instance, titles such as Wading Still (bend, bow, pull), and Not Every Passage/Position is Comfortable, tell the story of slavery.

In addition to his dexterity, Diedrick Brackens has gained credence as an artist due to his ability to work across art and technology. His intricate tapestries are based on algorithms derived from the histories of weaving traditions from different continents, including Africa, America, and Europe. The confluence of weaving ideas effectively highlights both the complexities of African-American identity and the cultural significance of the loom throughout the world.

About the Artists

Brackens has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the University of North Texas in 2011, and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in textiles from California College of the Arts in 2014.

An innovative artist constantly looking for new ways of improving his art, Brackens has caught the eyes of curators across the globe. He has had several solo exhibitions at the Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita; Steve Turner Gallery, Los Angeles; and Johansson Projects, Oakland.

Additionally, his works have been featured in group shows at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; SOMArts, San Francisco; the Berkeley Art Museum and the 3rd Ghetto Biennale. Other spaces where his works have also been exhibited include the Museum of Geometric Art, Dallas, and Port-au-Prince.

The Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize was established in George Wein in memory of his wife after her death in 2005. Joyce Alexandar Wein was a longtime trustee of the Studio Museum.

Past winners of the award include Simone Leigh, Derrick Adams, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Leonardo Drew, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Leslie Hewitt, Jennie C. Jones, Samuel Levi Jones, Glenn Ligon, Nadine Robinson, Gary Simmons, and Lorna Simpson.