Susan Eley Fine Art is delighted to debut a groundbreaking series of abstract paintings by Ted Dixon in the solo exhibition Eighteen. Eighteen will be on view in Hudson from August 22-October 13, 2024, with an Artist Reception on Saturday, September 7, 5-7PM. This suite of artworks expands upon Dixon’s unwavering commitment to the possibilities and power of abstraction. Eighteen features recent paintings inspired by his reading of The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, a book developed by Nikole Hannah-Jones. The texts reframe US history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans as central to the national narrative. The contributing writers encompass an array of thinkers—journalists, artists, academics, anthropologists, historians and legal scholars. Thus, the collection provides a rich scholarly picture for reader engagement.

The 1619 Project is a Pulitzer Prize winning book published in partnership with The New York Times in 2019. Within this powerful tome, there are 18 essays covering a variety of themes. The topics highlight many aspects of the Black experience in America—including “Punishment,” “Fear,” “Citizenship,” “Self-Defense,” “Church” and “Music.” In this series, Dixon uses these themes as a catalyst for his abstract painting practice. Each painting corresponds to one of the 18 chapters and encapsulates Dixon’s responses to the texts. The paintings are intuitive and aligned with the artist’s life experiences as a Black man, resulting in both emotive translations and emblems reflective on past and present.