“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.”
~Frederick Douglass (1818-1895)
I have always been extremely observant, so my artwork represents my viewpoint of society. Some may view it as confrontational, but that doesn’t represent what I’m trying to express. I appreciate all cultures (how we evolve and are constructed) and have a great respect for the potential that we all have regardless of lifestyle, religion, ethnicity, or gender. Therefore, my art expresses what I see in us. This is my narrative or my “soldier story” because my artwork always tells a story.
My artistic influences are Emilio Cruz, Amy Sherald, Robert Henri, & Frida Kahlo.
As an avid reader (see my READING LIST), I continually study history and current events and how the two have a symbiotic relationship. My intellectual influences are Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Colin Powell, and John Dewey.
Additionally, I write poetry and wrote my first poem for my father after I was notified that he had passed away on February 23, 2003. I consider my poetry as an extension of my art. I’m poetically inspired by Maya Angelou.
~ Bill Rembert
2012 Self Portrait (with son and dad)
STILL OBSOLETE
We went from the Invisible Man
to just plain obsolete.
Preserving for years
through struggles and amazing feats.
Ralph Ellison said it best ~
We’re not different from the rest.
We’re not a freak of nature,
nor of history.
I can’t understand… the mystery
It puzzles me
What do you actually see?
When we scream out loud
Our way of being proud,
like a Muhammad Ali bout.
The men inside, trying to get out.
You call it brashness
and think its arrogance.
In essence, it’s reminiscent
of a lifelong quest.
Living in a country
where just being invisible
is suppose to be our best.
From three-fifths existence,
read the constitution,
to a one-third presence
in where we should reside.
Fractured, but where are we?
The dichotomy within democracy
It’s really just hypocrisy
I resist just being obsolete!
Now when you look at me,
do you understand what you really see?
Copyrighted by Bill Rembert December 31, 2007