Louisianan of the Year

Northeast Louisiana Young Professionals recognized Monroe Louisianan of the Year - Artist Vitus Shell - Art & Culture Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at Flying Tiger Brewery. in Monroe LA. The poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht said, "Art is not a mirror to reality but a hammer with which to shape it." To Vitus Shell of Monroe LA, art is indeed a hammer. It is a means to shape reality for the outside world to see the African American experience through strong, compelling and often unsettling images of black contemporary life in America. "My large scale paintings are geared toward the black experience, giving agency to people from this community through powerful image deconstruction, sampling and remixing identity, civil rights and contemporary black culture," Shell says. "In my work, I strive to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations by exploring and uncovering factors that contributed to the unfortunate relationship breakdown between the two. Moreover, my layered, mixed media painting examines parallels between present day behaviors and attitudes that date back to African roots. My artistic goal is to exude the hip-hop lifestyle with a Southern vernacular."

Photo Artist Vitus Shell

Jump Page Photo Vitus Shell- Pictured with Artist Vitus Shell, City of Monroe Patience Tally & Monroe Chamber President Roy Heatherly