February '25 Issue. Honoring Black History

Charles Dickson

A self proclaimed Artistic Enigma

I remember the day I visited Charles' South-Central Los Angeles studio. I was accompanied by my photography director, Donnell Spencer,Jr. We were both in awe of the space, the artwork, the vibe, and history.

Charles was as happy to see us as we were to see him. As he showed donnell around his studio, I soaked in the majesty of his art work, asking myself, how in the hell did this man produce all of this.

After talking to Charles for five minutes, the answer was clear. As he told me, he is what I see right here.

Evident in the placement and purpose of his artwork in Sankofa Park,Car Culture is the unique confluence recognizing spirit,place and intention in Black cultural life in Los Angeles where cars replace the symbol of the African bird for mobility Car Culture is a trio of elongated figures resembling famous West African Senufo ritual objects. For the Senufo, these carved figures are the conduit between the living and spirit worlds, and Dickson continues this practice by connecting fiber optic cable between these larger than life portals to the past and the car fronts and ends that become their crown Cars are a fundamental component of Crenshaw street life that brings together innovation,creativity and the communal joy of gathering in celebration of the unbounded ingenuity of Black and Brown makers.

source. Destination Crenshaw

click the link to read the netire Q&A and more https://issuu.com/indieincognito/docs/february_25_issue._honoring_black_history?fr=xPf81NTU