Onto Something, a survey of nine new 73.25-by-48.75-inch framed pieces by Los Angeles-based contemporary artist YoYo Lander, celebrates the Black figurative form, highlighting the multifaceted and nuanced nature of the Black community. The nine works all depict the same nude model from different perspectives, without ever showing her face; this evokes a sense of vulnerability and allows viewers to contemplate the meaning behind the subject’s body language without the cues given by facial expressions. Lander’s technical process references the multiplicity of narratives within her community: she painstakingly assembles hand-blended pieces of stained watercolor paper to create human forms. To assemble these vibrant portraits, she individually stains several pieces of paper—honoring her love of tie-dye—and subsequently cuts and organizes them into a portrait. In so doing, she infuses her subjects’ skin with a range of stunning brown hues.

“This is something we all have in common: the ability to express ourselves by way of the body,” said Lander. “A person can tell if another is sad by glimpsing their downturned head; one can sense that another might be experiencing heartbreak or that they might be deep in thought based on their countenance or how they carry themselves. It’s a good lesson to see that we are all simply doing what we can to be happy and fulfilled as human beings.”

“This body of work is, above all else, reflective,” said exhibition curator Charles Moore. “YoYo, who takes a storytelling approach in enlivening her subjects, states it’s simply about situations. She sets out to communicate the importance of moving on to higher thinking or breaking free from things that no longer serve us, using the figurative form stripped of clothing and even facial features.”