Tavarus Blackmonster: Meta-Evil

Tavarus Blackmonster: Meta-Evil, represents a chance to view his brilliant work. With a history of personal struggles and triumphs, the art of Tavarus Blackmonster is at once a way of healing and understanding. Expressing his own unique experiences, he helps us to understand his life in a way that has inspirational and positive outcomes. The University Art Gallery’s programing helps to support our faculty’s teaching. It is through faculty recommendations that many exhibitions come to our galleries. This exhibition was recommended by my colleague Mirabel Wigon, who wrote the following about Tavarus work:

Tavarus Blackmonster is an interdisciplinary/intermedium artist, curator, and educator based in Sacramento whose work discusses issues of domesticity, race, and joy. This exhibition consists of primarily paintings and music, showcasing Blackmon’s use of vibrant colors and bold forms that create a process-based narrative. This exhibition envelops the viewer in a synesthetic experience, hypnotizing and destabilizing the space with the interplay of forms and music. Blackmon aims to expand painting, using beauty as a subversive and powerful tool to work through trauma, building a space for healing.

I am very excited to be able to exhibit Tavarus work for others to enjoy.

I would like to thank the many colleagues that have been instrumental in presenting this exhibition. Tavarus Blackmonster for the chance of exhibiting his work, Mirabel Wigon for recommending Tavarus’s exhibition, Brad Peatross of the School of the Arts, California State University, Stanislaus for the catalog design and Parks Printing for the printing this catalog.

Much gratitude is extended to the Instructionally Related Activates Program of California State University, Stanislaus, as well as anonymous donors for the funding of the exhibition and catalogue. Their support is greatly appreciated.

Dean De Cocker Director, University Art Galleries California State University, Stanislaus