The Wisdom Man
Paul Stolper is pleased to announce 'The Wisdom Man', a group show that acknowledges Linton Kwesi Johnson as a pivotal and influential figure in contemporary poetry and culture. Born in 1952 in Chapelton, Jamaica he came to London in 1963. At school he joined the Black Panthers, and helped to organise a poetry workshop within the movement and developed his work with 鈥楻asta Love鈥�, a group of poets and drummers. Johnson鈥檚 poems first appeared in the journal Race Today who in 1974 published his first collection of poetry, 鈥榁oices of the Living and the Dead鈥�. 鈥楧read Beat An鈥� Blood鈥�, his second collection, was published in 1975 by Bogle-L鈥橭uverture and was the title of his first LP.
The exhibition includes artists from several generations; a watercolour portrait and print by Pop artist Peter Blake, who saw Kwesi Johnson 7 nights in a row supporting Ian Drury in 1979. Artist and musician Rod Melvin鈥檚 鈥楲inton Kwesi Johnson II鈥� 2023 is one from a series of knitted yarn portraits; his Peter Blake and Grayson Perry were shown at the Royal Academy Summer Show in 2018 and 鈥楿nsung Hero 鈥� The Teacher鈥� in 2021 (incidentally Melvin joined Ian Drury鈥檚 band 鈥楰ilburn and the High Roads鈥�, writing with Ian 鈥楨ngland's Glory鈥� recorded by Max Wall and 鈥榃hat a waste鈥�). Petra B枚rner鈥檚 portrait collage of Kwesi Johnson was used as the cover for Penguin Books 2006 鈥楲inton Kwesi Johnson 鈥� Selected Poems鈥�, and shows the poet repeated in profile holding a megaphone, while Lorena Levi鈥檚 portrait of Kwesi Johnson 鈥楢 Top Notch Poet鈥� is an example of a new generation drawn to his writings and poetry.
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Paul Stolper is pleased to announce 'The Wisdom Man', a group show that acknowledges Linton Kwesi Johnson as a pivotal and influential figure in contemporary poetry and culture. Born in 1952 in Chapelton, Jamaica he came to London in 1963. At school he joined the Black Panthers, and helped to organise a poetry workshop within the movement and developed his work with 鈥楻asta Love鈥�, a group of poets and drummers. Johnson鈥檚 poems first appeared in the journal Race Today who in 1974 published his first collection of poetry, 鈥榁oices of the Living and the Dead鈥�. 鈥楧read Beat An鈥� Blood鈥�, his second collection, was published in 1975 by Bogle-L鈥橭uverture and was the title of his first LP.
The exhibition includes artists from several generations; a watercolour portrait and print by Pop artist Peter Blake, who saw Kwesi Johnson 7 nights in a row supporting Ian Drury in 1979. Artist and musician Rod Melvin鈥檚 鈥楲inton Kwesi Johnson II鈥� 2023 is one from a series of knitted yarn portraits; his Peter Blake and Grayson Perry were shown at the Royal Academy Summer Show in 2018 and 鈥楿nsung Hero 鈥� The Teacher鈥� in 2021 (incidentally Melvin joined Ian Drury鈥檚 band 鈥楰ilburn and the High Roads鈥�, writing with Ian 鈥楨ngland's Glory鈥� recorded by Max Wall and 鈥榃hat a waste鈥�). Petra B枚rner鈥檚 portrait collage of Kwesi Johnson was used as the cover for Penguin Books 2006 鈥楲inton Kwesi Johnson 鈥� Selected Poems鈥�, and shows the poet repeated in profile holding a megaphone, while Lorena Levi鈥檚 portrait of Kwesi Johnson 鈥楢 Top Notch Poet鈥� is an example of a new generation drawn to his writings and poetry.
