Esteban Whiteside: Beyond Rage

In this first solo survey of neo-expressionist and primitivist artist Esteban Whiteside, rage is a reflection, a satirical volley between political assertions and pop culture musings. Rather than run from the boiling canopy that hovers overhead, here rage sweetens the bitter edge of our collective contempt for the extractive, imperialistic — the twisted reality colonialism has cultivated within and outside of ourselves.

But how do we personally define rage? Is it something that lives in our minds or does it reverberate through our bodies? Is it a temporary flare or a growing fire waiting to be expressed? Does it latch on like an unsteady companion to our joy, labor, and pain, or is it a psychic reflex that offers us protection? Is it an urgent response to being silenced, or an evolving archive of triggers? Does it quietly rumble or does it holler? Can rage die, or must we carry it forward?

In 1961, James Baldwin said: “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost, almost all of the time — and in one’s work. And part of the rage is this: It isn’t only what is happening to you. But it’s what’s happening all around you and all of the time in the face of the most extraordinary and criminal indifference….”

This is how rage takes form in this presentation. Much like our 2023 exhibition entitled, Uncensored, which explored political commentary through the lens of comedy, Whiteside’s work offers a delightfully witty as it is sobering perspective into the hard, cold world we occupy. Where this show differs from the former rests in the artist’s investigation of the undeniable trauma we experience (the elephant in the room) and where and how he chooses to place the onus of responsibility squarely into view.

“Real radicalism implores us to tell the whole ugly truth, even when it is inconvenient. To own the hurt and the pain. To own our shit, too. To think about it systemically and collectively, but never to diminish the import of the trauma.” ― Brittney Cooper, Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower

The horizon reveals much as we cling to outdated systems on the verge of collapse, systems which never really afforded equity for all anyway. Some might say, but at least there’s hope…. Hope that our contribution to this evolving experiment will win over hearts and propel us forward eventually. Hope that through our back-breaking labor, we can move beyond the rhetoric into a free space of radical imagination. Perhaps then we could dream and maybe, brick by brick, build anew.

But if we let history be our guide, then our current predicament calls for something more immediate. Our dreams need not be deferred. Instead they can be activated through a community-centered actualization of purpose as the Siksika (First Nation Blackfoot community) saw it, or as Dr. Karenga Maulana brought nia back to us through the fifth Kwanzaa principle.

Beyond Rage then is a kaleidoscope of the artist’s inside voice, ripe with questions that need answers. Together, these 30+ contemporary art pieces by Whiteside, which are made of a melange of paint, resin, found, collected, and repurposed materials double as our animus and our mantra. As bell hooks posits in her book Killing Rage: Ending Racism: “My rage intensifies because I am not a victim. It burns in my psyche with an intensity that creates clarity. It is a constructive healing rage…. It is a way for us to learn to see clearly.”  – Amy Andrieux

(from top of page, then here left to right)

(top above) “No Country” by Esteban Whiteside.
(left) “The Fall” by Esteban Whiteside.
(right, above) “Mass Shooting” by Esteban Whiteside.

Esteban Whiteside (b. 1985) is a self-taught painter whose work is based on the intersectionality of street art and politics. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, he began painting as an act of love, which then led to him dedicating more time and research into painting, with an interest in abstraction. Having always been inspired by outspoken artists, after seeing the death of Michael Brown, he felt he could no longer create work that didn’t address social issues, and began developing an artist narrative stemming from circumstances affecting the Black community. It was at this pivotal point that his inspiration shifted from abstract expressionism and artists like Romare Bearden, to what he calls “concrete oppressionism”, focusing solely on creating work containing a direct, political message, leaving little room for interpretation. He eventually relocated to Washington, D.C., where he began showing his paintings just outside of his neighborhood. The polarizing reactions in the feedback he got from passers-by motivated him to continue producing. With the overt nature of his work’s messaging, Whiteside says, “I want the right people to love it, and if you feel guilty that’s probably how you’re supposed to feel about it.”

After garnering some attention from showing his works on the street, he was offered the opportunity to show his work in a group exhibition. In a surprising twist of fate, the works were taken down after the opening night due to the owners’ apprehension against sharing such politically charged work during the heightened emotions of the 2016 presidential election. In solidarity with the freedom of expression of artists, other artists came forward offering Whiteside opportunities to show his work in more progressive spaces. After a series of successful group exhibitions, he presented work in a two-person show at The Fridge, where he was encouraged to be openly controversial as he wanted to be, reaffirming his freedom of expression.

Click the QR CODE to download the list of artwork featured in the exhibition, and to learn more about the artist’s intention behind each.

Vibe out to the Beyond Rage exhibition’s soundscape on Spotify, curated by MoCADA’s Director of Live Events, Music and Audio Programs, Run P..

Click the link to each resource listed below to learn more.

For deeper exploration, visit Brooklyn Public Library for Art and Culture at 10 Lafayette Avenue for a curated collection of reference materials that are relevant to the show’s themes.