Awol Erizku’s luminescent Girl With A Bamboo Earring radiates intensity. The undeniable descendant of Johannes Vermeer’s famed Girl with a Pearl Earring, Erizku’s appropriated portrait is a formal declaration of beauty not only within the history of art, but culture at large. In restating Vermeer’s painting, Erizku participates in a larger phenomenon of contemporary black artists, such as Kerry James Marshall, Chris Ofili, and Kehinde Wiley, critically redressing the absence of people of color in the history of art. However, rather than seeking exact parity in representation within the realms of traditional fine art, Erizku pursues a form of image-making that transcends mediums and the closed conversations within the art world. Marrying popular culture and fine art with vibrant photographs and brilliant mixed-media installations, Erizku understands that for beauty to be recognized in a museum, it must first be recognized in culture at large. In discussing the work of his contemporary predecessors, Erizku noted, “The artists that came before me who are critiquing the system were and are only concerned about raising these issues and talking about them to other artists. As much as I find that interesting and necessary, it is far more important to me that the work is accessible to a larger audience—and that they come to see it. I want the conversation to be louder and amongst as many people as possible.”