Rising Stars: Meet Andre Barker of Detroit

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Barker

Hi Andre, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up, I never cared for fine art, instead, I was more interested in video game development. So much so, that I wanted to be a concept artist or a storyboard artist for a video game company like Naughty Dog. However, it wasn’t until 2020 when I was already getting my BFA from Wayne State University and was stuck in the house due to the COVID lockdown that I started to reflect on my practice. That’s when I realized that even though I wanted to create stories for video games, I could create a visual narrative using traditional media like drawing. So, I focused on my drawing practice and got in my first show at the Buckham Gallery in Flint, Michigan before building up my portfolio to apply to grad school. Though I was accepted into three programs I decided to go to Columbia College Chicago for my MFA. While there, I dabbled with mixed media because I wanted to do something different than what I had done in undergrad. It was then that I started to paint with acrylic and I fell in love with it.

Through acrylic, I saw the potential for greater expression and the ability to create a more impactful visual language with my art that I could not have done with graphite or charcoal. So, I began learning how to paint in 2023. While working on my first painting titled “Attack on the Night” I began planning out my thesis and the work I wanted to create for it. It wasn’t until I had an outline done, an elevator pitch, and a clear plan for what I wanted to do that I began reaching out to galleries. One of which is the gallery that now represents me called M Contemporary Art in Ferndale, Michigan. After I graduated, I became an adjunct professor at Wayne State University, and I was able to have my first gallery solo show in 2024.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the main struggles that I dealt with in my art career is dealing with doubts and imposter syndrome. As someone who overthinks everything, I often have a nagging feeling that I’m doing something wrong and that I need more time to complete something. I sort of had to push myself to trust the process and to keep applying for different opportunities and working for years without having any sort of financial benefit or recognition but a lot of rejections. It felt like I was drowning most days, especially as I struggled in Chicago while getting my MFA and relied on Subway discounts most days to eat. However, even with those challenges I stayed ambitious and had complete faith in my abilities and what I believed I could accomplish if I continued to work. So, I would spend hours in the studio working diligently trying to perfect my craft and find a method of working that I loved. I felt that if I just worked on my technical ability then I could create a narrative in my work that people outside of my experience would understand and connect with.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
By utilizing visual motifs such as color, lighting, and symbolism, I highlight the surreal quality of being a person of color, focusing on the aftermath of trauma rather than the trauma itself. My objective is to convey vulnerability rather than strength, humanizing my subjects by distilling their essence in each painting. The performance and frequently repressed Blackness in environments marked by hate, misunderstanding, and/ or fear, enables my work to visualize the surreal and alienating core of the Black Experience. Exposing stress and anxiety resulting from the weight of the performance and Black excellence, causes a state of heightened awareness of self. In my new series of paintings, I explore the experience of Black identity using symbolic elements. Specifically, I incorporate a plastic “Thank You, Come Again” bag partially over the head or in the environment as a metaphor for the feelings of disposability and discomfort that can arise in predominantly white spaces. This is something that I illustrate by having the figure in a literal white space or with a sketchy surrounding to further separate the fully rendered Black individual occupying the space.

So far, I am most proud of my work ethic and ability to reach out to people and have them come in for a quick photo shoot. I need to have other people involved in my practice so that I’m not just doing a bunch of self-portraits all the time. It also motivates me in a way because it shows that other people understand and are interested in the story that I am conveying with my art. As for what sets me apart from others… I think that it is the symbolism behind the background and the “Thank you come again” bags over the head. It tells you everything you need to know about what the painting is about without reading a synopsis of the work. Also, the handling of the acrylic paint… I never wanted to create photo-realistic work because I felt that if you wanted it to look realistic you could just take a picture. So, I want to depict a more “graphic realism” than true realism. A lot of Black artists are talking about representation and the Black experience, so it was important for me to continue that conversation in my work while also putting my personality and interest in the paintings such as video games, Black culture, music, etc. Creating a visual language with my work is very important to me.

What are your plans for the future?
I plan to continue to work and apply for different opportunities like residencies, fellowships, grants, etc. Thankfully, I got accepted into an 18-day residency at Ragsdale in Illinois and I have been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Judy Sigunick Fellowship in the Visual Arts! During that time I will receive a stipend and get the time and space I need to work on and plan a series of 8-10 drawings that I wanted to begin working on titled “Odyssey”. Moreover, within the next 3 years, I plan on being accepted as a studio fellow for a residency in New Haven, Connecticut. I also would love to do more art talks and participate in other group shows both in and outside of Michigan so that I can show my work to a wider audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andrebarker.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrebarkerart?igsh=MWZ6MnE5dWZ3NDF1Yg==
• Other: https://www.mcontemporaryart.com/artists/andre-barker?fbclid=PAY2xjawIO561leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABpmRDPWTiR7MyoWyGor3EoS0HJi-zGyitxPr3kPtA6rGSuZlvzyPQ4ZL9yw_aem_VVRrkmaag1C8LWsx7vbIVA