Demetrius Wilson, a New York-based abstract artist, is holding his first solo exhibition in Nashville titled "Aftershadow" at Red Arrow. The article argues that the art world is shifting away from content-driven, representational art—dominant since the politically charged 1993 Whitney Biennial—toward a resurgence of formal abstraction. Wilson exemplifies this trend, which the author dubs "Next New Formalism," creating paintings that prioritize color, shape, and emotion over overt narrative or identity politics. His work, which reads like abstract landscapes with titles like "Paranoia Taking Over Me" and "Put Your Name on It," challenges expectations about Black art and reflects a broader cultural and market pendulum swing.
This shift matters because it signals a significant change in what collectors, museums, and galleries are prioritizing, potentially reshaping the art market and exhibition programming for years to come. The article positions Wilson within a growing cohort of abstract artists gaining traction, as noted by publications like Art & Object and ARTnews, and draws parallels to early 20th-century Modernist painting in response to contemporary global tensions. For Wilson, a Black artist whose work resists reductive categorization, this resurgence offers new opportunities and affirms that artistic expression cannot be confined by identity-based expectations.