A Few of My Favorites is the first collection of works by Armando Alleyne. It has
painted and pasted interpretations of jazz musicians, singers
Afro-Latin, boxers, but also members of his family and
knowledge. Alongside his incessant practice of painting,
portraits of black icons, Alleyne leaves elements of his lived experience
take shape in his work. Series such as Shelter Blues illustrate
her direct experience of homelessness. Another series, Maria's Song, summons
a pantheon of religious symbols to pay tribute to the sister he lost in
cause of AIDS. There are also erotic paintings that the artist has
made from magazine advertisements and models that he put in
scene. Renouncing neither the sensual nor the political, the set of paintings
d'Alleyne tells how we are determined by our city and how we
we can look for the tools to heal there. The works are presented alongside
of a series of snapshots and personal anecdotes that evoke the works
sold and people who are no longer with us.
