Charles Edward Williams

CHARLES EDWARD WILLIAMS

Durham, NC

Charles Edward Williams is a contemporary artist deeply inspired by ideas of the Black experience. His paintings, videos and installations investigate racism and stereotypes built by our social and political climates. He is interested in reappropriating or recontextualizing narratives from Black histories, from the Civil War to the present day as a method for expanding conversations and connecting to the human experience.

The sublime and the dramatic are important elements of his work. His landscape and seascape paintings are often highly detailed and overwhelming, regardless of scale. The use of complex composition, contrasting light, and dynamic movement build tension and create a psychologically tense environment for both his subjects and the viewer. The sea or water is dangerous, overwhelming, and unforgiving if you err within it.

Williams’ self-portraits as a swimmer are personal and deeply loaded with meaning. Included in And We Went, these paintings connect to the realities of many of the young men and women who were forced to swim in drainage ditches and gullies. Williams experienced three drownings. These paintings share his story around the reality and fears of not being able, and the desire to then learn to swim. A legacy of segregation, and not being able to swim is a reality for many Black people who continue to be excluded from this leisure activity and safety skill. The floaties and goggles are symbolic of the artist's sense of fear, and the honesty and vulnerability of speaking your truth.

Works on view