Drink More Water: Senghor Reid’s “Distilled” Opens at M Contemporary

“I want to force a bigger conversation,” says artist and educator Senghor Reid.

Senghor Reid Self Portrait

Courtesy of Senghor Reid

Click the audio player above to hear the full conversation. CultureShift airs weekdays 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit public radio.

In artist and art educator Senghor Reid’s latest solo exhibition “Distilled,” water takes center stage.

“in this work, I really just want for the subject of water to be a bigger part of our every day discourse,” says Reid during an interview at the WDET studios. “I don’t think that we talk about the health of our bodies enough.”

Beginning with small studies before exploring large-scale works, Reid built a system of gestural movements that simulated the movement found in large bodies of water. Reid says the exhibit encourages viewers to think deeper about our most important natural resource. 

“I want to force a bigger conversation,” says Reid.

“Distilled” by Senghor Reid is now on display at M Contemporary in Ferndale through Saturday, March 9th.

He is currently an artist-in-residence at the Cranbrook Schools and is a National Board Certified Visual Arts Educator. In 2009, Reid received a visual artist fellowship from Kresge Arts in Detroit. He’s also been awarded the Governor’s Award for emerging artist.

Reid’s work has been exhibited in the U.S. and abroad in galleries and museums including the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit in Michigan; Kentler International Drawing Space in New York; St. Catharine Museum in Canada; and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York.

Click the audio player above to hear the full conversation with Senghor Reid on CultureShift.

 

Author

  • Ryan Patrick Hooper inside the WDET studio.
    Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host of "In the Groove" on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.