Kenneth Randle refuses to see everything around him in simple terms.
“In a world where people often see only in black and white, I have always used light, color, and shape as a form of representation to express my ideas,” Randle says.
The High Low Gallery is presenting “Void Spaces,” by the St. Louis-based artist through Saturday, Jan. 5, 2025. Void Spaces is part of the 2024-2025 season of juried exhibitions in KAF’s ‘The Call’ artist submission program.
Randle spent two years as a professional graphic designer. In 2019, he worked as the Gallery Coordinator for Arts Huntsville in Huntsville, Ala., curating multiple in-house shows for local artists. He moved back to St. Louis in 2021 and in 2023 he received a scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Randle’s work normalizes the Black aesthetic and how one can engages with it, questioning how something and someone can be invisible in a world where there’s no such thing as invisibility. His paintings are a beacon to show the viewer all of the beautiful subtleties of the Black experience.
“By studying painters through a diverse lens, I’ve focused my intention on how I use light and how I choose to implement it in my everyday practices from both a historical and metaphorical standpoint. My ideals serve as a window, allowing my paintings to speak about the African American historical narrative and the Black aesthetic.”
Randle discovered his remarkable talent for creating art at the age of six. He attended Visual & Performing Arts schools from elementary through high school, where he participated in a student art show at the St. Louis Art Museum in 2011.
In 2017, he was part of the First Annual Juried Student Show, where he received a First Place Certificate for Best of Show and a small stipend to fund his artistic practices. He graduated from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU) in 2018.
After graduation, Randle spent two years as a professional graphic designer. In 2019, he worked as the Gallery Coordinator for Arts Huntsville in Huntsville, Ala., curating multiple in-house shows for local artists. He moved back to St. Louis in 2021 and in 2023 he received a scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
St. Louis American: What is the meaning behind Void Spaces?
Kenneth Randle: Void spaces represent two ideas that I have been investigating. One is the approach. That has to do with how I will address these issues through picture-making. By that, I mean the process of solving problems. That has to do with a vacancy specifically dealing with Black history and the everyday lives of Black folks dwelling in void spaces.
Secondly, it manifests what it means for African American artists to occupy obscurity. Although only 7 percent of Black artists are shown or represented by institutions, museums, or galleries, being chosen to hang my work at The High Low Gallery allows me to fill another void space.
SLAM: How did you create the concept?
KR: After working on the remaster of the Death of Socrates, painted by Jaques Louis David, I wanted to simplify things. I remember one of my first assignments in a painting class and that was to put the pencil on the paper and to allow the mind to run free and have fun while never removing the pencil off the paper. I carried that idea over into my one-line drawing series for Black pioneers that inspired and motivated me to continue my story.
SLAM: How does this project relate to the Black experience?
KR: In creating through my personal experience, there would be little difficulty in drawing from the darkness of existence for those who look like me. However, I’ve decided to allow my renderings to embrace and depict that sense of urgency by using my paintings as a beacon of light. My ideals act as a window that allows my paintings to speak about the African American Historical Narrative and the Black aesthetic.
SLAM: How do you use light, colors, and shapes?
KR: The reason light is so important in my work is because it gives identification to an invisible subject matter. When I think about how my ideals are formed, my mind immediately starts to conjure ways I can bring light into a situation where that moves not only the piece but challenges my last piece to evolve.
SLAM: What are some takeaways you hope people will gain at your show?
KR: I want the viewers to look at my work and be able to empathize with my paintings. I hope that it inspires people to look at more artwork in general. But also support other Black artists who get these types of opportunities.
Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.
