Grady Alexis

Grady Alexis, originally from Haiti, was a prolific and inventive artist who experimented in a variety of media and recycled materials. He used everything in his art - anything he could use to make something. Bold colors and lines structure the works. Human, animal and spiritual forms are a formidable presence in landscapes and scenes that are dream-like.

In his works we find symbols that seem to be part of a separate reality. He references the world of spirits, allusions to ritual, and timelessness. He tells tales that are as musical as they are colorful.

A walk through the world of Grady’s scenes is mesmerizing. It can be as haunting, as it can be inspiring. And as such, it is an experience that remains etched in the psyche.

One example is “Resurrection of the Sun”, 1989 (below), a large painting on canvas that was the backdrop on the stage at El Taller Latino Americano’s Parra-Guthrie Auditorium in the late 1980’s - early 1990’s. In it we find symbols: a tree; a figure; a bird; a fish; water; a boat; and sun rise. Sadly, the original work was taken from its honored place on El Taller’s stage. Some of it was found in small, cut pieces strewn across the neighborhood. The subject of Tom Campbell’s documentary (further below) “The Birth of the Sun”, is the recreation of this painting, completed in 2007. A work of love finished by Grady’s personal friends along with artists from El Taller’s extensive community. In this short film a scene is described: one sunrise on the East River in New York City that seems to be the inspiration for this work. In Grady’s painting a figure pulls back the trees, as a curtain, to reveal a blood-orange sun. It is a saturation of color. Past whatever is in the closer planes, the birds and the boats, that are anchored contentedly, is our vista. A new day. Another reality. Possibility. A hopeful and yearning voice.

In the time Grady was artist-in-residence at El Taller, he made art, played music and collaborated with artists in the Lower East Side community of the time. He was also exposed to, and learned, from the many international artists and musicians that exhibited and performed at El Taller. He taught painting to children and the mentally ill in El Taller’s programs designed to foster health through artistic expression. Grady had successfully found and created a New York City family of artists, musicians, poets and activists.

In a horrific turn of events, and in stark contrast to the way that Grady lived his life, he was assaulted by an off duty police officer, a man who was also a champion boxer.

“An autopsy showed that Mr. Alexis was killed by a blow above his right eye.

The authorities described his death as a freak occurrence, the combined result of an unfortunate punch and a brittle skull.” New York Times: Richard Perez-Pena; March 17, 1993

After Grady was killed, El Taller closed its doors. There was a subsequent hiatus for several years. And when El Taller reopened on the Upper West Side in 1996, the gallery was renamed in Grady’s memory.

And in his memory, The Grady Alexis Gallery continues to be a place where artists at all career levels can find a safe space to exhibit, discuss and connect with audiences.

visit Los Archivos del Taller for more of

El Taller Latino Americano’s 4-decade History

or

El Taller’s Gallery page to find out more about the exhibition program