Diversions LA

John Bankston, in The Companion, his 8th exhibition at Walter Maciel Gallery, offers a view of man and his best friends – animals who are perhaps his dopelgangers, or his spirit creatures; animals with which he is establishing a tentative relationship. Evoking the colors of Gauguin and the innocence of Rousseau, Bankston captivates with his series of brightly hued, narrative art.

The series is playful, and follows the meetings between the protagonist, a neatly coiffed and attired black man dressed in simple, colorful shirt and pants, and the animal creatures he meets, from lions to brightly spotted leopards, sometimes multi-colored in their spotting, sometimes blue or red. Regardless of coloration, the spotted animal is referred to as “the beast” by Bankston. Vibrant birds land on his hand, other creatures peer through the underbrush. In other works, the protagonist stands alone, as if searching for a friend.

There is a sense of trust, tentative friendship, and longing for relationship in these works, which began with an oil stick image of a man leaning comfortably against a lion. The underlying basis for this series is the artist’s thoughtful take on race relations: his genuine concern about safety, in a world where black men are all too often forced to endure police profiling and apprehension, as well as with a broader view of inequality and inequity.

In some works the message is somewhat ambiguous – is the man a figure caring for these animals or is he scared of them. In past series, Bankston has had his protagonist interact with other humans, but here in this colorful, exotic forest setting, the man is sought out by these would-be animal friends.

There are many works in this series, and throughout, the man’s relationship with these often somewhat fantastical creatures, evolves. From an ambiguous pose to one of closeness. These works fill the main galleries at Maciel; in the second space, earlier evocations of the protagonist, either by himself or meeting up with other humans, some costumed, are on display.

Just as exploratory as the evolution of the animal relationships is Bankston’s use of mediums: he ranged from acrylic to oil based paints and oil stick, creating on canvas, paper, and linen. Mixing mediums creates both a sense of the magical setting and a layered quality to the work, pulling the viewer into the dynamic  of children’s fairy tales and adult dreams.

The meticulously simple drawings, call backs to a world of coloring books and primers, serves as a lure of both accessability and safety, creating a comfortable space in an alchemic world, allowing the viewer to examine a wide range of experiences and messages.

There is a message of caring for creatures beyond humankind, of finding friends outside our own small “comfort circles,” and a strong environmental message, too – if our protagonist’s relationship with these animals is fragile, so too is humankind’s relationship with the rest of the natural world. If friendships are to be carefully explored, if racial inequities are to be examined, these, too, are topics that should be handled in a comfortable space, defenses down, understanding expanding.

Viewing this exhibition is to enter a lovely, lustrous, world, with a brilliant, jeweled palette within which lies a precious but tenuous web of connection.  To make that connection is to appreciate the feelings of those beyond our own, to care for the physical environment, its inhabitants, and relationships with all.

Explore Bankston’s world through July 1st; the gallery is open from 11-6 Tuesday-Saturday.

• Genie Davis; photos by Genie Davis