FIRST GLIMPSE: William Scott exhibition at Studio Voltaire
By Isabel Millett 3rd Nov 2021
Studio Voltaire re-opened last month with a major exhibition of work by William Scott.
A self-taught artist, Scott's paintings address questions of citizenship, community and cultural memory – all while being deeply rooted in personal history.
Often describing himself as an architect, the San Francisco native has been redesigning the city and his hometown of Oakland, across the bay, since he started drawing as a child.
Born schizophrenic, in many of Scott's self-portraits depicting versions of himself as a child or young man, he conceptualises alternative people he may have become: he's portrayed as a basketball star, prom date and a gospel superstar.
Portraits of black icons include actors, musicians, politicians and civil rights leaders – those of Prince, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Kamala Harris grace Studio Voltaire's freshly painted walls.
Alongside these are portraits of Scott's family members and neighbours. Paintings of women from the Baptist church he has attended since childhood are captioned with descriptions such as 'queen of gospel'.
The exhibition at Studio Voltaire is the first significant survey of his practice. It is accompanied by a number of works displayed around Clapham, selected by Scott to complement the exhibition.
Following its presentation at Studio Voltaire, the exhibition will travel to MalmÅ Konsthall, Sweden in 2022.
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