Afro Futurism Visions

 Onli is nearing the end of his Summer Flex Residency at the vital Hyde Park Art Center.  Here Onli has pivoted away from his 5 decades of experimenting with Rhythmism and all of its future-primitif assets in fine and commercial art. Often with intense oversight. 

 Now he enters the affirmed phase in the vintage masterful stage of his career artistic practices.

When has the Visual Artiste ever named a genre of classification of an art movement?

Onli has named two. "Rhythmism".  "Then the Black Age of Comics".  Both being bold genius level acts of self determination in the face of tremendous orthodoxy. This was like telling parent you will be naming yourself. Usually critics, historians or the art-world press names the genre.  They rule the labeling and the status.  And of course we know that if a Black man names it others will not embrace it.  Hmmmm?

Who named the current trend of "Afrofuturism"?  Not to mention, "Post Black"?  Were these terms acts of self-branding or accepted celebrations of being anointed by the rulers and branding mechanisms of the lamestream?

 In Onli we have something rare....almost unique.  An intelligent visual artist who in his late teens decided on two pathways to visual arts practices. No mentor. No patron.  Just Onli.  With the help of a few amazing artists and visual explores along the way.  He put his money and other resources where his practice and concepts were.  

Onli has influenced thousands through his years of teaching. therapizing, publishing and exhibiting his Rhythmistic explorations.  His acolytes abound.  Thought nameless to most...clearly apparent in style and practices.  Denial on this grand scale is like the powerful river in Egypt.

 Now we have Rhythmism and its manifest of the future-primitif pathways to artistic expression.

Above is an Onli Rhythmistic design treatment for a published textbook for Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

In this assignment he worked with the marketing team. art direction along with a grpahic designer.  Rhythmism ruled the day.  What a triumph for Rhythmism's commercial potential.

Below a recent Residency image and a review of one of his dynamic experimental solo Rhythmistic Fine Art exhibition.  It is of note that the Black nor the mainstream artworld came to witness the full power and impact of this work.  They were invited. 

 But this shared filter of orthodoxy seems to control them as they avoid the self determination expressions of this brilliant, educated, prolific openly-hetero Black male artiste. All to their lost and that of true lovers of dynamic visual art that is not based on the branding and censoring politics of a select few.

RHYTHMISM Lives!  

There is no force like an idea whose time has come!

  What time it is??!