HCC Art Galleries hosts contemporary art exhibitions at its Dale Mabry and Ybor City locations and a recent pop-up on the Ybor campus featured the art of Omar Richardson, a Bahamian artist now based in Tampa. The exhibition, titled “Rise,” showcased Richardson’s latest body of work focused on Ybor City’s most famous inhabitants—its free-roaming roosters.
(Courtesy of Omar Richardson)
In exquisitely detailed woodblock prints, Richardson captures the majestic qualities of the rooster, from its regal plumage and robust wattle to its direct and confident gaze. Richardson alludes to the historical connections between Tampa and the Caribbean with his vivid colors and imagery of tropical flora such as hibiscus and yellow elder. He adorns the roosters with clocks and timepieces, evoking the passage of time as well as one’s moments of growth and enterprise.
Joanna Robotham is the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Tampa Museum of Art.
Check out last month’s piece by Caitlin Albritton. Looking to advertise with us? Find out how.
