Vitus Shell: 'Bout It 'Bout It, The Political Power of Just Being, opening in SECCA's Main Gallery

By Lana Shkadova        Feb 6, 2023

Vitus Shell: 'Bout It 'Bout It, The Political Power of Just Being, opened in SECCA's Main Gallery last Thursday. The public opening reception was held at 5pm, but artist Vitus Shell gave a special gallery tour with the press between 4–4:45pm. The curator was present, and cocktails were available from The Exquisite Taste.

Louisiana-based artist Vitus Shell creates empowering portraits of Black Americans through a revision of historical painting. Shell's work is geared toward the black experience, giving agency to people from this community through powerful images deconstructing, sampling, and remixing identity, civil rights, and contemporary Black culture. Learn more at SECCA's website.

In addition to works brought to SECCA, the exhibition also features a large site-specific mural portrait of Larry Little, the prominent Winston-Salem community leader and founder of the North Carolina Chapter of the Black Panther Party, the first in the American South.

This exhibition is organized by the Hilliard Art Museum, Lafayette, Louisiana and curated by Benjamin M. Hickey, Curator of Exhibitions, Hilliard Art Museum, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The exhibition is co-sponsored by Blanco Tackabery Attorneys and Counsellors at Law.