S9 #80 Oct 03, 24

Christopher Williams, 'The Black Da Vinci': Exploring Black Joy & Representation in Visual Art

In this episode of 'The Truth in This Art,' host Rob Lee sits down with Christopher Williams, known as The Black Da Vinci, a visual artist originally from the West Coast, now based in Philadelphia. Christopher's work radiates Black joy through his powerful portraiture and figurative painting. They discuss his journey, the importance of celebrating Black identity and culture in art, and his choice to move away from depictions of Black pain. This conversation offers deep insights into his creative process and the significance of representation in art. Christopher Williams' work is both a celebration and a statement.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
Edited by Daniel Alexis
Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

★ Support this podcast ★

Creators and Guests

Host

Rob Lee

The Truth In This Art is an interview series featuring artists, entrepreneurs and tastemakers in & around Baltimore.

Guest

Christopher Adam Williams

Christopher Adam Williams is a visual artist whose practice utilizes portraiture and figurative painting to convey complex narratives, including that of race and gender, originating for a deep empathy with his subjects. Born in Oakland, California, Christopher’s current studio base is in San Francisco, where he resides with his wife. His drawings, paintings and films have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, museums and galleries, including Tunnels of the Mind (Times Square, NY), Crocker Art Museum (Sacramento, CA), Spark+Echo Arts (New York, NY), My Studio Gallery (Sacramento, CA). Christopher received his Bachelors in Fine Arts and Masters in Fine Arts from San Francisco Art Institute, where he was awarded Best in Show, MFA and a finalist for the Headlands Arts Center Graduate Residency and Black Artists Fund, Sower award 2020 winner.